Arkansas defensive coordinator said both the linebackers and secondary are the strong points of his Razorback defense in 2025.
It’s been well-documented in recent days that Arkansas’ defensive line is not as deep as it needs to be this coming season, but defensive coordinator Travis Williams likes what he has in the linebacker room and in the secondary.
Williams met with the media on Monday and said of all three levels of his defense, he believes the linebacker room and secondary are the strong points.
“In the defensive backs room, we have a lot of guys with one year left of eligibility, so we have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football,” Williams said. “Stephen Dix, this is his last year of eligibility, so you have a guy that’s been around the block.
“We have guys with mustaches, so we don’t have a lot of young guys. That’s a good thing. That experience means a lot when you get up under the lights and get to play big-time football, so we’re definitely going to lean on that experience.”
What Arkansas has in its linebacker room
The linebacker room is led by two veterans in redshirt seniors Stephen Dix Jr. and Xavian Sorey Jr. The latter of those two has dealt with some hamstring issues in fall camp, and in his place second-year linebacker Bradley Shaw has performed well.
On top of those three — whom Williams said he views as starters — the Razorbacks have some good depth. Two guys who didn’t get the chance to play in the spring — UCF transfer Andrew Harris and Southern Utah transfer Trent Whalen — have started to make waves in fall camp in recent weeks to add more depth to the linebacker room.
“The guy we’re not really talking about is Trent Whalen,” Williams said. “He’s been a great addition for us, and he’s a guy that’s going to play for us. Just watching the first two scrimmages, you can see he has a lot of time on task of playing linebacker, and he’s been a great addition – even with special teams.
“The value that he brings with special teams. But Trent Whalen is a guy that’s really, really been climbing the charts, you know, from just putting the football down, playing football. So very pleased with him.”
To add to that depth, the Razorbacks also have homegrown talent in Wyatt Simmons, as well as former four-star Tavion Wallace, the crown jewel of the Hogs’ 2025 class.
Arkansas’ secondary more versatile in 2025
One thing that sticks out about Arkansas’ secondary in 2025 is how flexible it is. A lot of players have the ability to play multiple different positions, which makes Williams’ unit perhaps the most versatile it’s been since he arrived at Arkansas.
“I could definitely say that because you have more toys to play with,” Williams said. “As long as we can keep everybody healthy, it will be a good thing. So yes, we definitely have more depth to do more there.”
Williams has several different packages at his disposal in 2025. He’s run out a 3-2-6 look during fastball period during fall camp, and we know he’s got some 3-3-5 looks as well from the Tennessee game last season.
In fall camp, a lot of different faces are flashing potential at different positions in the secondary, but there aren’t any clear-cut starters yet.
“It’s still going ongoing as far as, ‘okay, who’s going to go out there the first series,'” Williams said. “But we tell the guys, ‘if you go out there and we play you, you are a starter to us.’ Very pleased with Jordan Young. He’s been a great addition for us, and Miguel Mitchell has done an outstanding job on the back end. He knows it inside out. Very smart. Caleb Wooden has been a great addition for us. And Larry Worth been doing really well and you know, you got so many guys.
“Shakur Smalls has been a great addition…So we have that depth. Just like the last scrimmage, in 12 personnel, we personnel matched. You may see three linebackers and not a Hog. You may see a Hog out there. You just never know depending on the personnel that we face. But very pleased with all of those guys.”
What about the defensive line?
Williams likes what he has in the linebackers and secondary, but there are glaring issues with the defensive line, which is probably why he didn’t call it a strong point of his defense.
The Razorbacks will possibly be without Abilene Christian transfer David Oke in the season opener, and the interior of the defensive line is thin from a depth standpoint. The Hogs have Cam Ball to anchor the interior, but there are only two others to play alongside him — Danny Saili and Ian Geffrard.
Both of those linemen are more than capable than playing at a high level, but any kind of injury issues could lead to true freshmen like Kevin Oatis or Reginald Vaughn getting meaningful playing time. Both of those players are talented in their own right, but relying on true freshmen in the trenches is not ideal.
Still, Williams said they signed those guys for a reason, and they’ll need to step up if their numbers are called.
“May need some young guys to step up,” Williams said. “We have guys that’s played in SEC ball, but just the depth part of it is definitely a deal that we have to figure out. Young guys is why we recruit, and being able to see those guys play early if they are ready. So, we tell the guys if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. So, you know, just getting those guys ready. But we definitely need some young guys to step up.”
The Razorbacks have 12 days before they open the season against Alabama A&M on Aug. 30 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Subscribe to HawgBeat for $1 for your first week and stay up-to-date with everything going on with Arkansas football.
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