Line shuffling a reality for Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Anymore college football realignment means conferences poaching or getting poached by other conferences.

Not at Arkansas. With Coach Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks realignment literally means realigning the offensive line.

Not a good Game Six sign realigning the O-line. Especially vs. 16th-ranked Ole Miss at 6:30 tonight in Oxford, Miss. The Rebels, 4-1, 1-1 in the SEC, last week outscored defending SEC West champion LSU, 55-49.

“There’s a lot of different reasons to shuffle your line,” former longtime O-line coach Pittman said. “One is to get the attention of your guys that are playing. One is a changing up that would hopefully help you perform better.”

The linemen seem already getting all the scolding attention any could stand on talk radio and such. Pittman shuffled hoping for better. Arkansas, 2-3, 0-2 in the SEC losing three consecutively to Brigham Young and in the SEC at LSU and vs. Texas A&M at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, realigns center through tight end because of collective ineffectiveness and one injury.

Rising star true freshman tight end Luke Hasz (16 catches for 253 yards and two touchdown catches) broke his clavicle during the 34-22 loss to Texas A&M. Hasz is deemed done for the season.

Pittman said he’ll open tight end by committee against Ole Miss.

Included are veteran blockers Nathan Bax and transfer Francis Sherman plus transfer Var’keyes Gumms, 34 catches for 458 yards and five touchdowns last year for North Texas but just one catch for two Arkansas yards, and redshirt freshman Ty Washington, a touchdown catch in last season’s Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas but zero catches this season.

Big running back Dominique Johnson also practices some at tight end.

Gumms’ gaudy North Texas stats got shaded by Hasz’ heroics.

“A lot of his (Gumms) non-playing was because of Luke,” Pittman said. “I think you’ll see a good player.’

Unlike tight ends moved up because one injured went down, the line reshuffles for collectively not measuring up.

Pittman knew he had opening growing pains with only two returning starters, senior guard Brady Latham and senior guard become center Beaux Limmer. Seems the more games played the more pain grew.

The running game lacked O-line push. And passing, even mobile quarterback KJ Jefferson couldn’t avoid A&M’s seven sacks.

Hence this week former tackle Latham starts at right tackle replaced by Limmer at left guard. Sophomore right tackle Patrick Kutas now gets a head start at center, his 2024 projected position.

At practice Pittman professes seeing revitalized faces in different places perhaps inspiring young right tackles Devon Manuel and Andrew Chamblee and transfer right guards Joshua Braun and Ty’Kieast Crawford.

“We have some things to clean up, but I do like some of the moves that we made,” Pittman said Wednesday. “I think we can get there by Saturday what we want to get accomplished.”

That asks much to accomplish sufficiently scoring in Oxford after the Rebels rang 55 on LSU.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton) Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman is making wholesale in his offensive line this week, hoping to avoid some of the problems that plagued the Razorbacks against Texas A&M.