Arkansas closed out spring football for the SEC on Saturday as the last team to conclude workouts with their Red-White game.

Looking to build off an 8-5 season in 2015 that finished much better than it started, the Razorbacks are trying to fill several big holes heading into 2016. But the spring was good, they got a lot done and coach Bret Bielema is happy. September can’t get here soon enough.

Here are five things we learned about Arkansas during the spring:

Austin Allen will be just fine at quarterback

It’s the quarterback position, so of course it got most of the eyeballs all spring long. Austin Allen has waited patiently for his chance for three years behind his big brother Brandon, and he’s proved all spring that not only is he the best quarterback on campus, but he’s also capable of doing big things in the fall.

Allen forced a few passes early in the spring game Saturday but then he settled into a nice routine, completing 13 of 19 passes for 141 yards. He showed plenty of arm strength, throwing some nice out routes for completions and finding open receivers in tight spots with good, strong throws. He made some big plays too that would have looked even better if the receivers had finished them – Keon Hatcher, we see you.

Allen looks good throwing on the run as well, so look for offensive coordinator Dan Enos to pull out the full playbook in the fall. Allen is a smart kid and he’s going to be ready. There were three times last year that Brandon Allen had to throw 43 passes or more and he had a great running game. Don’t look for Allen to have to carry this team by himself, but he’s also proven he can make the big plays when he has to. Best thing to work on? Getting a little air under those long balls.

Defensive front seven won the spring

And there is absolutely no doubt about that. If they doled out MVP awards for the spring, defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. would be a hands-down winner.

He’s been unblockable all spring and that was no different in the spring game, where he had two sacks. So did Jeremiah Ledbetter. And having five-star recruit McTelvin “Sosa” Agim around for an entire spring of workouts has been huge. There’s no doubt he’s the real deal at defensive end and, as Bielema’s first five-star recruit, he could have the same massive impact that five-stars have brought to other schools.

There’s no doubt that Arkansas will be better along the defensive line in 2016, and that’s going to be critical for the overall improvement of the defense. The group had to be considered a negative a year ago, but Agim makes a difference and several others have shown nice improvement all spring. And there’s never been any doubt about the linebackers at any time.  This is a group on the rise.

Running back talent a hidden concern

Spring often offers an imaginary look at issues good or bad. That’s certainly the case with the running back situation at Arkansas. There wasn’t much to be excited about Saturday during the spring game, nor has there been much explosion in open scrimmages throughout the month.

Should we worried? Probably not, because the top four running backs in the fall weren’t really around much in the spring. Kody Walker broke his foot, Rawleigh Williams III (neck) participated, but in a no-contact  green jersey and freshmen-to-be Devwah Whaley and T.J. Hammonds can’t make any statements until they arrive on campus in a few months.

The overreaction can work in reverse too. It can be assumed that the Razorbacks will be just fine when those four join the party. But that would be wrong. Can Walker stay healthy? Can Williams actually take big hits? Can the freshmen really not play like freshmen? In other words, we’ll have to wait until the fall for answers. Williams is the most intriguing player going forward. He’s got a ton of talent, but will he be 100 percent?

Wide receiver depth changing look of offense?

Arkansas has at least five first-line wide receivers, and that’s a wonderful luxury. It was obvious Saturday that Enos and the offensive staff were doing all they could to get the ball in their hands. Throwing the ball is going to be a big part of this offense, but we also saw a lot of end-arounds and jet sweeps on Saturday.

We’ll see more of that in the fall, for sure. Several receivers had the ball on runs. Dominique Reed looked good and Keon Hatcher should have had a touchdown. He was about to reach the end zone but then fumbled just short of the goal line, negating a sure score.

It will be interesting to see how the Razorbacks line up most of the time in the fall. Last year, they used a two-tight end set often with Mackey Award winner Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle. But with so much receiver talent, will we see more three-receiver sets instead? Enos earned his chops last year and in leading an explosive offense. Expect anything different in 2016? Not different results, but certainly different looks.

And where does the spring leave us?

Bielema is 18-20 in his three years at Fayetteville, but the Razorbacks are trending upward. There were some huge wins last year against really good teams (Ole Miss and LSU) late in the season and a recruiting class that was his best ever. There are many huge holes to fill, but overall the 15 spring workouts went well.

There’s pressure everywhere, of course, and it’s no different in Fayetteville. Last year’s most glaring weakness was in the pass defense, but new defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads looks like he’s already having an impact in that area. The former head coach (Iowa State) and longtime defensive coordinator got some quality play out of his group on Saturday. That’s sure to translate to the fall.

Because the defensive line was so dominant all spring, that put a big spotlight on the struggling offensive line. There were some issues there all spring, and that’s because there are plenty of new faces around and a lot of guys who are new to the system. Dan Skipper at right tackle is the only returning piece at the same spot. New offensive line coach Kurt Anderson has big shoes to fill after Sam Pittman bolted for Georgia, but he’s got a great reputation as a technique coach as well. The guess is that this offensive line will look a lot better in the fall that it does right now.