Arkansas Football Countdown: 65 Days - Mitch Smothers

1965 was a great year to be a a Razorback fan. It began with a Cotton Bowl victory that gave the Hogs a national championship, and then Frank Broyles led the team to a perfect regular season the following fall. (A loss to LSU in the 1966 Cotton Bowl cost the Razorbacks back-to-back titles, even though no team finished undefeated in 1965. The lesson, as always, figuring out the rightful college football national champion is a fool's errand.) The team finished 3rd in the final AP poll.

Most Hog fans agree a similar record this year would be a miracle. But hopefully number 65 Mitch Smothers will do all he can to achieve a record close to that. Smothers is a sophomore from Springdale. He had great success in high school, earning a sport on the Under Armour All-American team. He had scholarship offers from all over the country, but in the end he decided to stay home and be a Hog.

As a freshmen he started four games for the Razorbacks. According to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, he was the first true freshmen to start on the offensive line for the season opener. Smothers redshirted in 2012 and contributed on the scout team.

This season could be big for Smothers. He is projected in the post-spring depth chart as a starter at guard. If the Hogs want to have success this season Smothers will need to bust some holes wide-open for the running backs.