Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams quietly did a nice job with his defense his first year in Fayetteville in 2023, and he quietly entered the 2024 season with quite a bit of talent. Though the Razorback defense was never particularly flashy, they were mostly solid. Now going into 2025, however, much of the top talent on that unit is gone.
Landon Jackson and Eric Gregory are both off to the NFL after proving to be one of the SEC's best defensive line duos, leaving some major holes to be filled without clear answers as to who fills them. D-tackle Cameron Ball does return to anchor the interior (47 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks), so there's at least a proven starter to build around.
End Quincy Rhodes Jr. and tackle Danny Saili have each had good springs after primarily being depth pieces in their careers. Tackle David Oke from FCS Abilene Christian (63 tackles, 9.5 TFL) and former Troy end Phillip Lee (11 TFL, 5.0 sacks) were highly-productive at lower levels. It'd go a long way for that production to translate to the SEC.
Linebacker looks to be a position of strength. Xavier Storey Jr. (99 tackles, 9.5 TFL) and Stephen Dix Jr. (72 tackles) are one of the better duos at the position in the league, and FCS Southern Utah transfer Trent Whalen is a newcomer with good potential.
The secondary faces major question marks with eight of the Razorbacks' top DBs leaving through either graduation or the transfer portal. The silver-lining is the pieces returning have seen plenty of action. Jaheim Singletary and Selman Bridges are likely starters at corner, but Oklahoma transfer Kani Walker and JUCO transfer Keshawn Davila will challenge them. Larry Worth III should step in at nickel with Miguel Mitchell and Auburn transfer Caleb Wooden taking the starting safety spots.
New faces must be difference makers for Arkansas defense in 2025
In order for Arkansas to at least match their level of defense from last season, they're going to need several former depth pieces or transfers to have breakout seasons. Who, if anyone, will step up? It's tough to say.
There aren't defensive lineman experienced at this level outside of Cameron Ball. There's quite a bit of experience in the secondary, but how many starting-caliber players are there?
Simply put, there are a ton of questions for this group entering fall camp. It's hard to not expect at least some drop-off compared to last season, which puts even more pressure on a Razorback offense facing its own questions for this fall.