Sam Pittman believes opening spring scrimmages could help Arkansas determine key camp battles
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In a day and age where many college coaches are scared to death to open practice for fear that intel will be shared with rival programs, it’s great to see Sam Pittman is not only unafraid to open up scrimmages, he’s wanting Arkansas fans to come out and create some pressure for his players.
There’s no chance an open spring scrimmage will mimic the sights and sounds found in Razorback Stadium in the fall but opening up practice to the program’s fans could certainly help the coaching staff create an atmosphere that could be used to their advantage.
During a recent appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, Pittman was asked to provide insight into the team’s ongoing quarterback competition between KJ Jefferson and Malik Hornsby.
“Well, right now we’re looking for a guy just to run the offense, be able to have the right reads, understand where the reads are, understand the secondary pre-snap,” Pittman said on the show. “Things of that nature. We’re looking for someone that builds confidence in our football team when he’s behind the center.
“And then, in all honesty, I’m looking for a guy that can throw the ball and somebody that can catch it. I mean, a lot of guys look good on air. A lot of guys look good in one-on-one, non-team settings but we’re trying to find a guy that can go play well in a team setting.”
Keeping on that theme, Pittman wants to know that what he and his coaches are seeing in practice will actually translate to game day.
That’s in part why Arkansas is hosting yet another open scrimmage on Saturday, to create an environment in Razorback Stadium as close to an actual Saturday in the fall.
Doing so should provide the coaching staff with just another piece of intel as the quarterback competition rages on this offseason in Fayetteville.
“And to be honest with you, Paul, part of the reason that we’ve opened our scrimmages up because I want our quarterbacks to feel a little bit more pressure,” Pittman added. “I think they’ll feel that a little bit more with fans in the stands. That’s why we’re doing it, a big part of it, anyways. The other reason is because we want the folks of our state to be able to see us play.”
Check out the clip of the interview shared by Finebaum below:
"I want the guys to feel a little pressure, that's one reason I opened up our practices to fans."
–@CoachSamPittman on how he's approaching the QB battle in Razorbacks' spring camp. pic.twitter.com/FlKTslE3p1
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 31, 2021
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
