Spring football came to an end this weekend for Arkansas, as the Razorbacks held one final practice inside Walker Indoor Pavilion after the Red-White Game was canceled due to inclement weather, but for all intents and purposes, spring never really got started for senior center Frank Ragnow.

After being named the nation’s best offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema decided to sit Ragnow for nearly all contact this spring. It was an odd choice, considering Ragnow is not battling through any injuries and is coming off a streak of 26 consecutive starts in the Razorback lineup.

During his media availability following the conclusion of spring practice, Ragnow was asked if he felt odd sitting out the spring in Fayetteville. It’s no surprise to learn the offensive lineman wanted to get out on the practice field and mix it up with some of his teammates, but especially with the more talkative ones.

“Yeah, that’s something new. As it went on, it kinda bothered me more and more because you want to be out there with your guys competing and everything,” Ragnow said. “You see guys talking trash, like (defensive lineman) Sosa (Agim) talking trash. I just want to go out there and put the guy on his back.”

While he did want to participate, Ragnow conveyed that he understands and trusts his coach’s decision.

“That’s the thing, it’s a little stressful like that, and obviously I understand,” Ragnow said. “I’m going to listen to Coach B — the guy is wise beyond his years and he knows what he’s been doing, been doing it a long time, so obviously I know his intentions — but the whole sitting out things was tough for me. It was definitely new.”

The odd decision to sit Ragnow for the spring has been a talking point for some in Fayetteville, including radio host Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly. During his Monday appearance on Cole Cubelic’s radio show, the Cole Cubelic Show, Mattingly discussed the potential backfiring of this decision. For an Arkansas team looking to reestablish itself as physically dominant up front on offense, sitting Ragnow does seem to send a bit of a mixed message.

“He didn’t play in contact drills, didn’t play in scrimmages and I’ve never heard of a center or an offensive lineman going basically non-contact in spring,” Mattingly said on the air. “You hear about running backs, quarterbacks all the time, but I’m interested to see if that has any impact in a negative way. Probably not, but worth noting that Bielema thought it wasn’t worth the risk of injury to him because he’s such a valuable, instrumental piece of that offensive line.”

Cubelic, a former offensive lineman for Auburn, responded with his thoughts to the move. His point is simple, you can’t become a better lineman by not being on the field.

“The only way to learn that position is to get out there and do it, and Bret Bielema knows that better than anybody, he played the position,” Cubelic said. “So, it’s surprising to me. I understand protecting an entity that’s out there, but I didn’t see (Alabama left tackle) Jonah Williams not go full pads. I didn’t see (right guard) Braden Smith at Auburn not go full pads. That’s the only way to get better, go out there and do it.”

This will certainly be a storyline to watch next season, as Arkansas needs Ragnow to return to the field and lead an offensive line that had major issues last season, particularly in pass protection. If Ragnow’s game takes a step backward next year, Bielema’s decision to sit his senior this spring will certainly come back to haunt him.