Arkansas Razorbacks 2026 Season Preview

The most important question on the roster has no settled answer. Returning sophomore KJ Jackson and redshirt freshman AJ Hill, who followed Silverfield from Memphis, are competing to run a system neither has truly commanded. Jackson looked sharper in spring, showing better decision-making and mechanics inside the new schemes, while Hill carries more familiarity with the offense from his Memphis days. Jackson has real size at 6-4 and 223 pounds, is left handed, and flashed in limited work last year, completing 61 percent for 441 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while adding a bit on the ground. Hill threw for 223 yards in two games at Memphis. Both are highly recruited and highly unproven, and Silverfield's offense asks the quarterback to make checks and reads at the line, which raises the degree of difficulty for a first-year starter.

There is genuine depth here. Chris Marshall is the swing piece, a former four-star recruit now on his fifth college roster who averaged an eye-catching 19.1 yards on 30 catches for 574 yards at Boise State. The talent is immense and this is his final college season; the question is whether he can leave behind the disciplinary problems that dogged earlier stops. If he can, Arkansas finally has the big-play threat it lacked. CJ Brown is the team's fastest player and a proven producer, Ismael Cisse should man the slot after a wrist injury cost him 2025, and Memphis transfer Jamari Hawkins adds another dependable option after going for 623 yards. At tight end, Jaden Platt is a proven, returning starter who caught 11 balls for 296 yards at 14.1 a pop, giving Jackson or Hill a reliable seam target.

Arkansas ran the ball well a year ago, finishing second in the SEC in rushing at 191.9 yards a game, and the backfield should stay productive. Bruising junior Braylen Russell is in the best shape of his career and carries 1,000-yard potential if he can finally stay healthy after nagging injuries. He splits the load with Memphis transfer Sutton Smith, a dynamic all-around back who ran for 669 yards and caught 20 passes last fall and has averaged 5.7 per carry across recent seasons. Expect a rotation, with true freshman TJ Hodges also in the mix, and the ability to lean on the run should ease the burden on a new quarterback.

The front is a projected strength because four of the projected starters were quality starters for their previous programs. Center Caden Kitler returns after transferring in from UCF, and guard Kobe Branham is back on the interior. The staff added size and experience up front with tackles Kavion Broussard, who arrived from an Ohio program, and Bryant Williams, a four-star transfer out of Louisiana who slots in at right tackle. Malachi Breland anchors a guard spot after two seasons as a starting left guard at Memphis; at 6-5 and better than 320 pounds, he is a plug-and-play interior piece who followed the coaching staff's Memphis pipeline to Fayetteville. If the group gels, Arkansas can control games on the ground.

This is the deepest and most talented the Arkansas front has been in years, and it starts with Quincy Rhodes Jr. The senior end had a breakout 2025, earning second-team All-SEC honors with 11.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks, and he bet on himself by turning down a chance at the NFL to return. At 6-6 and 277 pounds he is the anchor and focal point of the rebuild up front. David Oke holds down the nose after making two starts a year ago; the Abilene Christian transfer posted 63 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in his last full season there. Around them, Silverfield stocked the trenches through the portal with tackle Hunter Osborne (Virginia) and reinforcements in Xadavien Sims (Oregon), Carlon Jones (USC) and Trajen Odom (Ohio State), plus prized freshmen Danny Beale III and Anthony Kennedy Jr. The hybrid Jack role figures to be shared, with Charlie Collins in the mix.

Junior Bradley Shaw returns at Mike after a 50-tackle season and is the steadying presence in the middle. Alongside him, Howard transfer Ja'Quavion Smith emerged as a spring surprise and is positioned to start at Will after a productive year that included 49 tackles. It is a thin but improving group that needs its top two to stay on the field.

The secondary is essentially all new, which makes cohesion the priority for a first-year staff. Roberts likes his additions. Khmori House, a North Carolina transfer, mans the Star and drew praise as a player with the makeup of an NFL nickel; he piled up 81 tackles a year ago. Jahiem Johnson was a first-team all-conference standout at Tulane, where he logged 42 tackles, nine pass breakups and four interceptions, and Christian Harrison arrives from Cincinnati after starting at both safety and nickel and posting 66 tackles. Veteran Miguel Mitchell has logged significant time at safety and gives the group a returning presence, with Colorado transfer Carter Stoutmire and others adding depth. This unit has to come together fast against a brutal slate.

There are no holdovers in the kicking game, so the staff went shopping. Placekicker Max Gilbert transfers in from Tennessee, where he connected on 14 of 18 field goals in 2025, and redshirt freshman Gavin Rush is the likely punter after Connor Smith suffered a knee injury in the offseason. Sutton Smith doubles as the return specialist. It is an unproven but potentially solid core for a team that finished below average in the phase last year.