Sam Pittman analyzes Arkansas' offensive line play in second scrimmage

A former offensive line coach himself, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman always has one eye on the trenches during the Razorback scrimmages.

Following the latest team scrimmage, a particular player stuck out within an OL group that Pittman says is improving after losing several starters a year ago.

“I did think the protection — even though we’ve got still a long way to go — I thought it was better this week than it was last week,” recapped Pittman of OL performance in recent practices. He then named one underclassman who has stood out recently.

“Devon Manuel hadn’t played a lot. And I’ll be honest with you, I think Andrew Chamblee, you know, had a really good week,” said Pittman, asking his quarterback for confirmation. “Don’t you KJ?”

Jefferson had to be pleased that the redshirt freshman was able to step in and prove he’s reliable at left tackle since sophomore and likely starter Devon Manuel has missed some practice time.

Which has allowed Chamblee to take on a bigger role, per Pittman. “I mean, I think he’s solidified at worst that second-team left tackle spot.”

The Arkansas coach then complimented the overall performance of the unit in practice this week as they continue to get better.

“But I thought they did better this week in the pass protection. I think we got a pretty good front and they’re very difficult to play, especially when they’re loaded.”

Lastly, Pittman noted that scrimmages can be tough on O-linemen since they’re having to pass protect so often while the offense hones in on its pass game.

“You’re trying to get that quarterback and receiver game. And you’re hoping in practice you see the run game and, you know, you feel like you got a good run game or a good run stopping game, and then scrimmages seemed like you always err on throwing the football more.”

According to the head coach and QB1, Arkansas offensive line is only improving, and they may have a future star in Andrew Chamblee.

As mentioned, this group is recovering from some losses after saying goodbye to three of their starters last season while only having 78 career starts among their OL room in 2023. It’ll take time, but Pittman programs are steel mills when it comes to producing OL draft picks. You can bet he’ll have this group humming by the middle of the season.