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So, ESPN's SEC blog is spending part of the offseason naming an X-factor player for each team, and for Arkansas, they named wide receiver Demetrius Wilson.
The general crux of the discussion is that, as a 5th-year senior returning from an ACL injury that kept him completely out of 2013, he'll be a significant upgrade to the Arkansas receiving corps. Which, as we all know, is desperately needed - and that may be an understatement.
I do think it's fair to point out that among all the new receivers coming to the team, Wilson has flown under the radar a bit. He obviously brings more experience than the newcomers, having played in all 12 games in 2012 both as a receiver and on special teams.
Several people have been making the point that Arkansas' receivers could possibly be the most improved unit on the team this season. But much of that attention has gone to the newcomers. Jared Cornelius and Cody Hollister were both impressive during spring practice. JoJo Robinson was the highest-rated of the group out of high school. Kendrick Edwards is intriguing at 6'6", and Damon Mitchell was impressive in the spring considering he only practiced at receiver for the last couple of weeks. It's exciting to think about what he might be able to do with a full fall camp under his belt at the position (unless he moves to defense, which is possible, which might be even more exciting).
While I don't know that Wilson's return is necessarily any more promising than any of those other players, he's certainly a very good reason to expect the receivers as a group to be better, and that's really the main thing we can look forward to seeing this fall.
Oh, and if you're interested, UA released this video last November detailing Wilson's rehab. He's progressed much further since then, as he went through parts of spring practice this year (but no scrimmages).
