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Travis Swanson is a shining light amid the dampness of the preseason Arkansas previews.
His is one of the few positions on the Razorback depth chart that without any doubt. Swanson is a legit candidate for the Remington Award, given to the nation's top center. Bret Bielema has already described him as the best center he's ever coached, and Bielema coached some good, NFL-quality centers at Wisconsin.
Swanson was part of Bobby Petrino's highly touted 2009 recruiting class, and after redshirting that season, has started all 38 games since. We're pretty sure he and Zach Hocker are the only starters remaining from the Sugar Bowl team. He was included on the SEC's All-Freshman team in 2010 and last year was All-SEC 2nd team.
NFLDraftScout.com currently has him listed as the #1 center eligible for next year's draft, so expect to see his name called next April. But for now, the Razorbacks will be looking at Swanson to help lead the team to a rebounding season as the anchor of an offensive line that everyone hopes will improve with this coaching staff.
Thank you, Travis Swanson, for giving fans something to be confident in this season. I thought about saying "you're our only hope," but that seemed dramatic.