Arkansas Preseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line
Throughout fall camp, Sam Pittman didn’t shy away from talking about Arkansas’ offensive line struggles.
Following the departures of Ricky Stromberg and Dalton Wagner to the NFL, the Hogs had to do some shuffling on up front. Arkansas’ projected two-deep, includes three seniors, one junior and three sophomores. Of the players in the two-deep, only five have experience playing against SEC competition.
The majority of that experience lies on the interior of the offensive line, where senior guard Brady Latham, senior center Beaux Limmer and junior transfer guard Josh Braun are projected to lead. At the tackle spot is where offensive line coach Cody Kennedy could have issues.
Arkansas will be relying on sophomores Patrick Kutas and Devon Manuel, who have yet to get meaningful snaps against SEC opponents. That’s where a lot of the offensive line’s highly-publicized pass protection struggles stemmed from during fall camp.
Now, things aren’t always as bad as they seem and Cody Kennedy’s got a lot of talent for his third season in Fayetteville. But the pressure is on. Arkansas has KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders to lead a high-octane offensive attack, but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have help up front.
Let’s take a deeper look at the offensive line’s depth chart ahead of week one.
LT Starter: Devon Manuel
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Measurables: 6-9, 310 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Manuel arrived at Arkansas two years ago at around 390 lbs., but has since slimmed down and will have the important role of protecting KJ Jefferson’s blind side this season. At 6-foot-9, his size is extremely intimidating and he showed off his slimmer frame during spring practices when he earned the starting left tackle job.
He’s battled injuries throughout fall camp and will likely have to split reps with his backup, Andrew Chamblee, early on. However, it’s very likely that he’ll assume the full time starting role at some point this year.
LT Backup: Andrew Chamblee
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Measurables: 6-6, 303 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Chamblee was the No. 2 rated player in the state of Arkansas in the 2022 recruiting class and has the potential to be a reliable depth piece if injuries become an issue at tackle this season.
On Arkansas’ week one depth chart, Chamblee is listed as above Devon Manuel as the two are separated by the “OR” designation. This means that Chamblee might get the nod, but both guys will see action.
LG Starter: Brady Latham
Class: Redshirt Senior
Measurables: 6-5, 310 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Latham proved himself to be one of Arkansas’ most valuable pieces on the offensive line this spring. Not only is he one of the most experienced pieces up front, but he’s also the most versatile. Latham lined up and took an ample amount of reps at both guard and tackle spots during spring practices.
Right now, Latham is the starting left guard – where he was last season – but if he’s needed to move around, it won’t be foreign territory.
“I’ve played guard and then both tackles spots,” said Latham following a spring practice earlier this year. “I’ve enjoyed it and I think everyone’s kind of having fun at the new positions.”
LG Backup: Josh Street
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Measurables: 6-6, 311 lbs.
2023 Outlook: The Bentonville (Ark.) native Josh Street made news when he was promoted from walk-on to scholarship during the first week of fall camp. He’s now listed as Brady Latham’s backup for the first game against Western Carolina and is someone the coaching staff is really high on.
C Starter: Beaux Limmer
Class: Redshirt Senior
Measurables: 6-5, 306 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Limmer joins Brady Latham as the most experienced returners on Arkansas’ offensive line. He’ll be tasked with a new job this season, though, as he takes over the snapping duties that Ricky Stromberg left behind.
Limmer had some experience as starting center after he was moved prior to the Liberty Bowl vs. Kansas. He played the entire game there after playing at guard for the majority of his career. Entering this season, Pro Football Focus rated Limmer the No. 2 returning interior lineman in the entire country.
C Backup: Amaury Wiggins
Class: Redshirt Sophomore (JUCO transfer)
Measurables: 6-3, 310 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Wiggins was one of the most highly sought-after JUCO recruits in the country this offseason. The redshirt sophomore ultimately chose Arkansas over the likes of Texas A&M and LSU, and provides some reliable center depth behind the experienced Beaux Limmer.
RG Starter: Josh Braun
Class: Redshirt Junior (transfer)
Measurables: 6-6, 341 lbs.
2023 Outlook: One of the biggest moves that Arkansas made in the offseason was snagging Florida transfer Joshua Braun. The Razorbacks were able to beat out Georgia and Auburn for Braun’s services and it looks as if it will immediately pay off.
Braun has quickly gotten acclimated in Fayetteville and will join Latham and Limmer in playing an important role in how successful the Arkansas offense can be this season.
RG Backup: Ty'Kieast Crawford
Class: Senior
Measurables: 6-5, 317 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Crawford is entering his senior season in Fayetteville and while he’s not projected to be a starter, he’ll likely play a significant role at some point in the season. Crawford has spent his entire Arkansas career in-and-out of the starting role, but has proved to be pretty reliable in most cases. He has plenty of experience, if anything, and that could be a big plus during the grind of an intense conference schedule.
RT Starter: Patrick Kutas
Measurables: 6-5, 303 lbs.
2023 Outlook: Kutas appeared in every game for the Razorbacks last season, but was predominantly on special teams. His spring practice performances earlier this year is what earned him the starting nod over veteran Ty’Kieast Crawford.
Kutas was described by Sam Pittman as a “do-it-all guy” who can play center, guard or tackle, but that he will specifically be kept at tackle for now. The Memphis native was able to really separate himself and earn the title of starter before the spring game and held on to that throughout fall camp. Expect him to have a lot of responsibility up front this year.
RT Backup: E'Marion Harris
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Measurables: 6-7, 297 lbs.
2023 Outlook: The Little Rock native enrolled early as part of the 2022 recruiting class and saw action in two games during his redshirt season last year. Harris played in the win against Auburn and the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas. He was the No. 3 rated player in the state of Arkansas in the 2022 class and was a consensus four-star prospect.
