Tight End Lack Of Depth Not Problematic….Yet

With the recent retirement of tight end Kolian Jackson, Arkansas is struggling to find the depth they need at the position. Hudson Henry and Blake Kern give Arkansas a pair of reliable players. However, if the Hogs lose either one of them they will have to look elsewhere to shore up depth.

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Nathan Bax, a former transfer from Illinois State looks to crack the rotation at tight end. He is still a walk-on but also could be a candidate to receive a scholarship opportunity during camp if he can crack the three-deep, which shouldn’t be too hard.

During Loggains latest appearance with the media after fall practice on August 17th, he complimented Bax on his consistency.

“He’s got a very professional mindset about him. He knows what to do, he knows the right spots, you can count on him. And that’s what I talk about professional, he just knows what to do and he does it. When we grade out, he’s very consistent. He’s the same player every day.”

Consistency is a knack that the Razorbacks have missed over the past three seasons. Since the 2019 season, Arkansas has been without a constant threat at tight end. Bax will likely continue to play a primary role on special teams. He played in nine games last season for Scott Fountain’s unit. It is yet to be seen what kind of impact he would make if he sees the field offensively.

Young Hogs At Position

Arkansas returns Colin Sutherland who was a late commitment to the class of 2020. From Flower Mound, (Tx.) he is no stranger to hard work. He came to Arkansas at 6’4 225 but is now up to 245 pounds.

Little Rock Parkview produced a couple of solid prospects in the 2021 class under Brad Bolding. Erin Outley wasn’t highly rated as a three-star tight end and most of that probably is due to his knee injury suffered during his senior year. Outley hasn’t seen the field much during fall camp and that’s probably because of his continual rehab and finally being able to practice. Pittman mentioned that he may not have been in shape enough to just throw him out there for a practice. It is likely he is being limited and brought along. He could be a redshirt candidate this season.

Another Parkview product, Landon Rogers came to Arkansas as a quarterback. After displaying a powerful arm early on during camp he went to Coach Pittman and expressed his interest in helping the team at tight end. With the move it obviously boosted numbers but also allows Rogers to display his speed and athleticism better and maybe earlier than what he could have staying in a crowded quarterback room.

Pittman mentioned Rogers move to tight end during a segment of “Sam Pittman Live” on Wednesday.

“Rogers came and asked me to move to tight end,” said Pittman. “He thought it would be the best way to help this team…..he is about 6’4 220 to 225 pounds right now but I think he could get up 245.”

Pittman went on to add that Rogers could give them a different dimension to the team in coming seasons with the ability to “stretch the field vertically.”