A new season officially began with Devwah Whaley Ready to Carry the Load as coach Bret Bielema and his Arkansas Razorbacks teammates hit the field for their first official practice of preseason training camp.
Here’s a few notes and key storylines from Practice 1:
After backing up regular-season rushing champion Rawleigh Williams III last season, sophomore Whaley will be counted on for more carries in 2017 and looks to become the featured running back in the Razorbacks’ offensive attack.
Whaley, who came to Fayetteville from Beaumont, Texas, as one of the top backs in the country, ranked as a four-star prospect and No. 3 at his position, rushed for 602 yards and three touchdowns on 110 carries 13 games played last season.
A Doak Walker Award candidate, Whaley will have the opportunity to become the latest member of Bielema’s elite 1000-yard rushing club. Bielema is well experienced in producing 1,000-yard rushers. In fact, he’s the only active FBS head coach with a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last 11 seasons (2006-present).
The Hogs’ backfield will also feature some new faces, including graduate transfer David Williams, who also saw first-team reps Thursday with Whaley, and freshmen Maleek Williams and Chase Hayden.
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