FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino will be missing some familiar faces when his team opens spring practice in Razorback Stadium today.
Receivers Jarius Wright, Joe Adams and Greg Childs, who made an enormous contributions to the program throughout Petrino’s first four seasons with the Razorbacks, are off preparing for the NFL Draft. Wright and Childs are from Warren.
So for the first time since the spring of 2008, Petrino’s first with the Razorbacks, he’ll be counting on others to run routes, catch passes and lead the wideouts in his high-powered offense.
“It will be weird,” Petrino said before a Razorback Club meeting in Harrison on Monday. “I imagine when we get started it will be different.”
Making a smooth transition at wide receiver will be one of Arkansas’ top priorities during the Razorbacks’ 15 spring practice sessions.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
It’s not an easy task, considering the trio accounted for 465 catches and 7,410 yards and 56 receiving touchdowns during their decorated careers. But Petrino believes the Razorbacks have enough talent and depth to find answers before the spring ends with the Red-White Game on April 21.
“When you lose a Jarius Wright, a Joe Adams, a Greg Childs, who for four years those guys made a bunch of plays, a bunch of yards, a bunch of touchdowns, it’s how do you replace their production?” Petrino said Tuesday. “Obviously, we’re going to have to find that out as we go.”
The good news for Arkansas: there’s an obvious No. 1 target back in senior Cobi Hamilton. The Texarkana native took a backseat to the older trio throughout much of his career, but now gets the opportunity to be Tyler Wilson’s go-to receiver.
He has help at tight end, too, with senior Chris Gragg of Warren back after catching 41 passes for 518 yards in his first season as a starter. The duo will be counted on to lead the rest of the group of targets, which played in backup roles last season.
But Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino believes the newfound opportunities should make the younger players eager to please after sitting in backup roles. So he expects competition.
“A lot of times when you know you’re a backup, you kind of get used to that role,” Paul Petrino said. “But now there are a whole bunch of guys gone. Cobi should be the go-to guy. He should be the No. 1 guy. But who’s going to be No. 2, 3 and 4 is up for grabs. You’ll see where guys step up.”
Who are the most likely candidates?
Juniors Javontee Herndon (10 catches, 169 yards) and Julian Horton (13 catches, 170 yards) are the most experienced wideouts outside of Hamilton.
Petrino said Tuesday he has particularly been impressed with Herndon (6-foot-1, 204 pounds), who began to make an impact late last season.
Horton is the only receiver behind Hamilton who has earned a start in his career, subbing in when Adams and Childs were injured in 2010. His big highlight came in the 2010 Sugar Bowl, when he blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter to give Arkansas one last chance against Ohio State.
But Horton also has been steady as a receiver.
Arkansas feels good about its potential elsewhere, too. Sophomore Marquel Wade — who has been compared to Adams — will get an opportunity to play a bigger role in the offense after catching eight passes last season. So, too, could Keante Minor, who played on special teams in 2011.
Maudrecus Humphrey hasn’t accomplished much in his career. But the junior is back with the team after missing the Cotton Bowl for undisclosed reasons and is listed second on the depth chart behind Hamilton at one receiver position.
Quinta Funderburk, who struggled to adapt after enrolling last spring, will get a chance to impress after redshirting in 2011. At 6-foot-4, Funderburk is Arkansas’ tallest receiver and the Hogs will find out if the big target can help.
Arkansas has help arriving later this summer, too, thanks to a signing class that includes a handful of receivers. The Razorbacks have made it clear each member of the signing class will get a chance to play right away, making the spring critical for Arkansas’ current contributors.