Arkansas Football Roster Breakdown: Offense
Roster continuity in college football, for all intents and purposes, is a relic of the past. That doesn’t mean Arkansas fans shouldn’t be acquainted with the jimmies and joes who dawn the cardinal and white on offense every Saturday.
Following a 7-6 (3-5 SEC) 2024-25 season, coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino had a nearly complete rebuild on the latter’s side of the football thanks to the transfer portal. Sans quarterback Taylen Green, the Hogs are expected to feature up to eight new starters offensively.
Ahead of fall camp in August, HawgBeat has a complete offensive roster breakdown to catch fans up to speed on new and returning scholarship players with stats, video and any other relevant information.
QUARTERBACK
The Starter:
Arkansas’ season will live and die by the actions of returning starting quarterback Taylen Green. The 6-foot-6, 224-pound redshirt senior had flashes of top-tier signal caller ability last year, but his inconsistency in making reads and lack of quality offensive line play held him back from his true potential.
That’s exactly what Petrino is hoping to unlock in Green’s second year in the offensive system. According to this CBS Sports’ football analyst, Green is the best pro quarterback prospect in the SEC. We’ll see if the hype manifests.
The Backup:
Pittman wasn’t afraid to label redshirt freshman backup signal caller KJ Jackson the quarterback of the future at SEC Media Days, but barring an injury to Green, the Alabama native should only get spot duty in blowouts.
The Others:
Former Florida State transfer Trever Jackson and freshman Grayson Wilson round out the depth chart at the quarterback position. Jackson, a redshirt freshman, began his career as a walk-on with the Seminoles but is on scholarship with the Hogs.
Wilson was a three-star prospect out of Conway High School and the fourth-best player in the state of Arkansas. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound North Little Rock native will help on the scout team and is a likely redshirt candidate, barring any major surprises.
RUNNING BACK
The Starter:
Arkansas will not be a one-trick pony at running back, but for the purposes of this story, we’ll award returning ball carrier Braylen Russell the starting position. The 6-foot-1, 238-pound sophomore was excellent as a freshman, as he rushed for 354 yards and three touchdowns on 67 carries.
That included a breakout performance against Mississippi State on October 26, when he racked up 175 yards on 16 attempts with a season-best 75-yard rush. The potential is through the roof for the Benton native in Year 2.
The Backup:
A wildcard for Arkansas’ offense is former New Mexico State transfer running back Mike Washington Jr., who may very well end up being the starter with his blend of size (6-foot-2, 223 lbs) and speed.
The senior rushed for 725 yards and eight scores last season, but has 1,844 total yards on the ground plus 18 touchdowns throughout his career. Either way, expect Russell and Washington to be 1A and 1B in the backfield.
The Others:
Arkansas has no shortage of solid running backs on its roster. Look no further than Rodney Hill, a smaller weapon with some speed and pass-game ability, plus “walk-on” AJ Green, who began his career at Arkansas before transferring to Oklahoma State and then back to the Hogs this offseason.
Freshmen Cam Settles and Markeylin Batton complete a deep unit that possesses speed, size and elusiveness.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Starters:
With former Stanford transfer Ismael Cisse likely out for the season, look for former Charlotte transfer O’Mega Blake and former Fresno State transfer Raylen Sharpe to start, with the last spot going to a guy like former Florida transfer Andy Jean.
Blake, a 6-foot-2, 182-pound redshirt senior, caught 32 passes for 795 yards (24.8 AVG) and nine touchdowns last season. He began his career at South Carolina as a three-star prospect out of The Palmetto State.
Much like Blake, Sharpe is a multi-time transfer with stops at Houston, Missouri State, Fresno State and now Arkansas. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound slot receiver was named an FCS All-American with the Bears under then-head coach Bobby Petrino, and Sharpe accounted for 523 yards and three scores for the Bulldogs last year.
The biggest unknown is Jean, a 6-foot-1, 184-pound redshirt sophomore and former four-star prospect who only appeared in five games for the Gators across two years. Jean spent this past spring at Pittsburgh before transferring to Arkansas in the April portal window.
The Backups:
The top names to know at the backup wide receiver position are redshirt sophomore Kam Shanks (slot receiver from UAB), redshirt sophomore Jalen Brown (Florida State) and sophomore CJ Brown.
Shanks will be prominently featured on the special teams unit, but he’ll be a solid second-teamer behind Sharpe after making 62 grabs for 656 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Jalen Brown is similar to Jean in that he’s a former four-star prospect who hasn’t put it together on the field yet, but an offseason in Petrino’s system might unlock the next gear. CJ Brown is a returner who caught five passes for 62 yards, including four grabs for 50 yards against Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl.
Other options include redshirt freshman Courtney Crutchfield (Missouri) and freshmen Antonio Jordan and Ja’Kayden Ferguson. Crutchfield was one of Arkansas’ top portal additions, but had a bit of a slow spring. Jordan is a true wildcard who could carve out a role with his 6-foot-6, 230-pound size and Ferguson stood out with some highlight plays in spring camp.
The Others:
“Walk-on” and former pro baseball player Monte Harrison leads this group. A major special teams contributor, Harrison brings valuable experience to a new-look unit and a move up the depth chart isn’t off the table for the once four-star prospect.
Redshirt freshmen Krosse Johnson and Zach Taylor have some serious speed and size, respectively, but probably aren’t expected to have significant roles in the offense.
TIGHT END
The Starter:
Out goes Luke Hasz, in comes former Montana State transfer Rohan Jones. A 6-foot-3, 236-pound senior from Canada, Jones made 30 grabs for 470 yards and nine scores last season in the FCS. The First-Team All-Big Sky member is definitely more of a pass-catcher than a blocker, and should be a favorite for Green if Arkansas’ offense prioritizes the tight end position.
The Backups:
Tight ends are typically used situationally, so the backup will depend on the offensive package Arkansas trots out. Most likely, it’ll be redshirt sophomore Jaden Platt, who transferred in from Texas A&M. Platt doesn’t have much production to his name, but his 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame will give him the edge in the run game.
Redshirt senior Andreas Paaske, the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder from Denmark, could also get some run after he played in 10 games last season primarily as a blocker.
The Others:
Fan favorite Maddox Lassiter returns and will get the occasional opportunity. The redshirt sophomore appeared in all 13 games last season and always plays incredibly hard. Don’t forget about freshman Gavin Garretson, who stands at 6-foot-7, 254-pounds, but he will likely redshirt.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Starters:
On paper, Arkansas upgraded it’s o-line across the board. Corey Robinson II (Georgia Tech, 6-foot-5, 307 lbs.) was one of the top available left tackles in the portal, Fernando Carmona Jr. (6-foot-5, 325 lbs.) is a known product who is now playing his ideal position at guard, Caden Kitler (UCF, 6-foot-3, 306 lbs.) is the first Hog center since Ricky Stromberg to have a full season at the position already under his belt and Shaq McRoy (Oregon) has elite size at 6-foot-8, 362-pounds.
The lone question mark is probably returner Kobe Branham (6-foot-5, 326 lbs.), who played well in the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech, but is recovering from a torn pec he suffered in the spring. If he can get healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Branham to win the job over returners E’Marion Harris (6-foot-7, 300 lbs.) and Keyshawn Blackstock (6-foot-5, 320 lbs.).
The Backups:
Assuming Branham is healthy, Harris and Blackstock will likely be relegated to backup roles at the guard positions. That’s much, much better depth than Arkansas had a year ago in the interior.
Kavion Broussard (Ole Miss, 6-foot-6, 306 lbs.) is a talented underclassman with future starter potential at tackle or guard, Bubba Craig (Hutchinson C.C., 6-foot-8, 307 lbs.) was a quality JUCO offensive guard, Brooks Edmonson (6-foot-4, 316 lbs.) has experience at center and Marcus Dumervil (Maryland, 6-foot-5, 298 lbs.) is a veteran tackle.
The Others:
Bringing up the rear here are freshmen Blake Cherry (6-foot-5, 309 lbs.), LJ Prudhomme (6-foot-3, 295 lbs.) and Kash Courtney (6-foot-4, 285 lbs.). All of those guys are former three-star prospects who are expected to redshirt, barring multiple injuries.
––––––––––
More HawgBeat Football Coverage
– Arkansas special teams should be improved in 2025, Pittman says
– Antonio Jordan is ‘the next one’ in Warren’s long WR lineage
– Xavian Sorey Jr. taking leadership role in final season at Arkansas
– ‘Mature’ freshman Cam Settles could play role for Hogs in 2025
