Rehabbing Cornelius hopes to play in opener
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas senior receiver Jared Cornelius is on the depth chart with sophomore La’Michael Pettway and in the game plan for the Razorbacks’ season opener Thursday night in Little Rock against Florida A&M.
Cornelius (ailing back) and sophomore receiver/running back T.J. Hammonds (arthoscopic knee surgery) were deleted from the 105-man preseason roster until University of Arkansas fall-semester classes started Monday.
“We’re going to plan right now J-Red and T.J. Hammonds are both incorporated in the game plan,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said Friday, addressing media as did offensive coordinator Dan Enos and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads before the Razorbacks’ closed practice. “We’ll let them practice this week and make a decision, probably next Tuesday, whether or not they’ll play or not, depending on reps by then.”
Hammonds, a reserve tailback as a true freshman last season and then moved to receiver last spring, has practiced at both spots since his return.
“Wednesday he repped at tailback the whole time,” Bielema said. “Today the first half of our practice he’ll rep only at tailback and then he’ll pop into wide receiver for a couple of (pass skeleton) sessions.”
It sounds as if Hammonds’ recovery by Thursday might be ahead of Cornelius’ pace, which is harder to discern.
Bielema explained injured knees and ankles swell when ailing and go back to normal size with healing but “with a back you really rely” on the injured player describing his fitness.
“The conversation I had with him, going back to when we pulled him out of fall camp, is he’s got to feel great about how he feels,” Bielema said. “He literally was just in my office a half-hour ago. Very excited. The program he did this morning with Matt (Summers, the trainer) he said was the best he’s ever felt.
“So we’ll piece him in there a little bit next week and then make a decision on game day. We’ll piece him in there a little bit next week and then make a decision on game day.”
Since Cornelius caught 32 of the 35 passes caught last season by returning wide receivers this season, Enos was asked if he had alternate game plans with and without Cornelius.
“I don’t know if there is two different game plans but there’s certainly things we
would like Jared to do,” Enos said. “I think we have guys in position to do those things if he can’t play, but there’s things we will do if we have him available though.”
Is he optimistic counting on Cornelius to play?
“Yeah, absolutely,” Enos replied. “The prognosis sounds really, really good. Jared is really, really smart. He knows exactly what we’re doing. Once he gets back full-go physically he will know where to line up, how to run the routes and where to be. I am gonna remain very optimistic about it and hopefully we will have him.”
The starting offense, listing 12 positions with a fullback and two tight ends, starts Austin Allen at quarterback;Devwah Whaley at running back, with David Williams right behind him; Kendrick Jackson at fullback; Austin Cantrell and Cheyenne O’Grady as tight ends, Cornelius and Deon Stewart as receivers with Pettway and Jordan Jones right behind them and an offensive line of center Frank Ragnow right and left guards Johnny Gibson and Hjalte Froholdt and right and left tackles Brian Wallace and Colton Jackson.
With junior-college transfer Jeremy Patton and returnees Will Gragg and Jack Kraus all listed second-team tight ends and expected to contribute, Bielema said sophomore Grayson Gunter, lettering as a true freshman reserve last season but coming off shoulder surgery that prevented him lifting weights last winter and practicing last spring, will redshirt.
“He missed all the development in the spring,” Bielema said. “And to kind of space out that group of TEs who are all in that class together, when he played a year ago. Sat him down about two weeks ago and commonly, mutually came to that decision. Put him in a pretty developmental lift phase to get back on track and complete his career obviously.”
Defensively, the first unit starts McTelvin “Sosa” Agim and T.J. Smith at ends with Bijhon Jackson at nose guard with Dre Greenlaw and De’Jon “Scoota” Harris as inside linebackers and Randy Ramsey and Dwayne Eugene as Razor and Hog outside linebackers in the new 3-4 scheme.
The secondary starts Ryan Pulley and Henre’ Toliver at the corners and Josh Liddell and Santos Ramirez at safeties with Kevin Richardson the nickel with a linebacker scrapped against certain Spread formations.
In addition to being listed first, with sophomore Ty Storey listed right behind him, redshirt freshman Cole Kelley not only is the backup quarterback behind Allen but the No. 2 punter behind Blake Johnson.
At the inside linebackers, redshirt freshman Grant Morgan so impressed Rhoads and linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves filling firstteam roles when both Greenlaw and Scoota Harris were injured, that Morgan is the first sub, Bielema said, for Harris at middle linebacker and Greenlaw at weakside ‘backer.
The Razorbacks will have closed workouts over the weekend and together watch today’s 11 a.m. Florida A&M-Texas Southern game on ESPNU.