Injuries are starting to accumulate at the wide receiver position for Arkansas football.
Sam Pittman had relatively good health across the first five weeks of the season, but Bobby Petrino will begin his tenure as interim coach with three pass catchers — who at one point this offseason had aspirations to be starters sideline for the remainder of the season.
The latest pass-catcher to go down for the Razorbacks was Jalen Brown, who broke his tibia and fibula during the blowout loss to Notre Dame. He had 12 catches for 167 yards and joins Ismael Cisse (wrist) and Monte Harrison (foot) as long-term absentees.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Oct. 6, Petrino said that the Hogs did not plan on shrinking their rotation for the upcoming game against No. 12 Tennessee with all of these injuries.
“No, no, no,” Petrino said when asked if fewer wide receivers would be involved in the offense. “We’re going to need other guys to step up.”
According to Petrino, the starting wide receivers are already set in Jalen Brown’s absence. O’Mega Blake leads the position with 30 catches for 399 yards and three touchdowns, and he will retain his spot. CJ Brown (11 catches, 142 yards) will slide to the outside, with Raylen Sharpe (14 catches, 173 yard) becoming the new No. 1 at the slot position.
But beyond those three Hogs, there are no shortage of question marks. Kam Shanks, Andy Jean and Krosse Johnson are the only other receivers with catches this season, and they’ve combined for six receptions.
One player who doesn’t have a catch is Courtney Crutchfield, but Petrino highlighted the redshirt freshman as a breakout candidate across the remainder of the season.
“(Crutchfield’s) been doing a really nice job the last few weeks in understanding the offense better, running his routes more precisely,” Petrino said. “He’s a big, physical guy. He could really help us. He can play football and he can make the plays. It’s really not about that. It’s about that we can trust him to do the right thing on every single play.”
Crutchfield was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of Pine Bluff High School in 2024. He originally signed with Missouri and transferred to Arkansas after one season.
According to Petrino, Crutchfield was out of shape during the spring. But the Arkansas native worked hard on his body during the summer months and is now starting to see the fruits of his labor on the practice fields. The Razorbacks want that success to translate into Saturdays against SEC competition.
Another young receiver who could earn snaps is Antonio Jordan. The freshman from Warren shined during the early portions of fall camp before his momentum halted with a high-ankle sprain. Jordan’s been available to play the last two weeks, but the ankle injury hasn’t disappeared. Petrino remains optimistic on Jordan’s future career with the program.
Tight ends Rohan Jones and Jaden Platt will remain key contributors, but Arkansas needs new faces to start making plays. The injuries aren’t the only adversity facing an offense that has scored 16 points in the last six quarters.
“At these times, you find out a lot about yourself and your teammates,” quarterback Taylen Green said after the loss to Notre Dame. “We have to do a great job of keeping the herd, keeping the guys together, and just taking one day at a time.”
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: How Arkansas football, Petrino plan to replace injured WR Jalen Brown
