Three looming questions about Arkansas football in 2025: Tight Ends

On3 image — Arkansas tight end Rohan Jones. (Photo by Arkansas Athletics)

The offseason is in full swing, and there’s a little less than a month before the Arkansas Razorbacks will start fall camp ahead of the 2025 season opener against Alabama A&M on Aug. 30.

HawgBeat is continuing our series asking three looming questions about each position group ahead of next season. Up next in the series is the tight end room.

Similar to wide receiver, the tight end room looks immensely different in 2025. Luke Hasz was the most productive tight end of the Sam Pittman era thus far, as he hauled in 42 receptions for 577 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons, but he left for greener pastures at Ole Miss in the offseason.

Along with Hasz, Ashdown native Shamar Easter (1 reception, 16 yards), who moved to wide receiver towards the end of last season before entering the transfer portal, also departed the program, plus Ty Washington and Var’Keyes Gumms were removed from the team in October for violating team rules.

With all of the new faces, here are three looming questions about Arkansas’ tight end situation next season…

Will there be a difference-maker?

Two of the incoming transfer tight ends have proven themselves in college football, just not at the Power Four level.

Canadian Rohan Jones (6-3, 235) was named First-Team AP FCS Football Central All-American for the FCS Championship runner-up Montana State Bobcats after hauling in 30 catches for 470 yards and nine touchdowns. Jones played his first two collegiate seasons at Maine, where he totaled 31 receptions for 363 yards and seven scores.

Like many of the transfers who participated in spring practice, Jones looked better and better as it rolled on, both in the route-running and blocking departments.

“He’s got great speed,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino said during spring ball. “I think if we lined up and raced the receivers, he might end up three or four in the race, so he’s very very explosive. He had a good start, really good start. Doing a good job.

“And then the first time where he’s out there by himself and the coaches are over here, we came a little bit big and fast to him and he didn’t play as well as we like him to. But he came back from it very very strong, and that’s a key to his pride. I think he’s very prideful and a great competitor. I think he’ll be really good for us.”

Jeremiah Beck (6-4, 235) earned First-Team All-Conference honors twice at Chaffey (Calif.) College. In his two-year career with the Panthers he caught 77 passes for 851 yards and seven touchdowns in 21 games.

Who will provide quality additional depth?

Andreas Paaske (6-6, 255), a native of Denmark, is the only returning tight end who recorded any catches last fall, as two of his three receptions went for scores. Warren native Maddox Lassiter (6-3, 245), who has primarily been used as a blocking back, also returns and incoming freshman Gavin Garretson provides a solid frame at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds.

Texas A&M transfer Jaden Platt (6-5, 260) was the most heralded of the entire Hogs’ current tight end room coming out of high school, as he was ranked as a 4-star prospect and the 16th-best tight end in the 2023 class by Rivals. Platt played for Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino when Petrino served in the same role at Texas A&M during the 2023 season.

Platt caught two passes for 52 yards and a score that same year, and his ability to work in a play-action setting could prove to help Arkansas next season. His hands got better over spring ball and his size allows him to be an able blocker as well.

Will Hogs have an All-SEC 1st or 2nd team performer?

Arkansas is one of four programs with multiple Mackey Award winners (DJ Williams in 2010, Hunter Henry in 2015) and have had success at the position through the years, but none of the tight ends under Pittman have been named first or second team All-SEC.

Both Jones and Beck have all-conference honors on their respective resumes, but will they, or someone else, step up and break through as one of the best in the nation’s premier conference?