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Which wide receivers can help Arkansas football replace Treylon Burks 'by committee'?

Christina Long
Fort Smith Times Record

Arkansas football's biggest question mark on offense ahead of the 2022-23 season is its wide receiver group. The Razorbacks are looking to make up for the loss of star Treylon Burks, who led the team with more than 1,100 yards last season.

The loss of that production spells some uncertainty for Arkansas in its third season under coach Sam Pittman. Quarterback KJ Jefferson is back for another year, but who will his primary targets be?

Pittman has said throughout the offseason that the Razorbacks can't expect to have a single player replicate Burks' success. Instead, Arkansas will replace its former standout "by committee."

Wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton said Tuesday it's too early to make any decisions on which players might fill which roles. The Razorbacks haven't practiced in pads yet, let alone scrimmaged — their first practice in full pads is set for Thursday. But as the first full week of preseason practice comes to an end, here's a look at who the Razorbacks could turn to at receiver this season.

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Matt Landers

Landers is one of Arkansas' transfer portal additions, coming to Fayetteville after spending his first four seasons of college football at Georgia and a fifth playing in 12 games for Toledo. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Florida native was not on campus for spring ball and has impressed with his speed early in preseason practices.

Fellow receivers Ketron Jackson Jr. and Jadon Haselwood estimated Landers is the fastest of all the wideouts. Arkansas' defensive backs said the same, with cornerback Malik Chavis saying Landers has "SEC speed."

"It's just different when you have a guy that long, that tall, that fast," Guiton said. "He's added to our room something different."

Jadon Haselwood

Another transfer poised to make an impact is redshirt junior Jadon Haselwood from Oklahoma. An experienced player and former five-star recruit, Haselwood led the Sooners with 39 catches and 399 yards last season. He expects those numbers to improve thanks to his new team.

"Those numbers weren't good to me," he said. "I feel like I'm here where I fit. I am here where I belong. The coaches put me in more positions to contribute. That's no shade on anybody. I just feel like overall, this year is going to be great."

Ketron Jackson Jr.

As a freshman last season, Jackson played in all 13 games without many targets behind some of Arkansas' more experienced wideouts. Guiton said the former four-star arrived with plenty of raw talent last year but needed refining. Pittman said at SEC Media Days he expects a breakout year from the sophomore.

"The jump that he's made to now, it's awesome to see," Guiton said. "He's going to say 'Yes, sir,' to anything you say and try to go get it done, try to go execute it. Those are the best players, the ones that can actually translate it to the field."

Warren Thompson

Thompson is the most experienced receiver who wore a Razorback uniform last season. He had the third-most receiving yards on the team last season with 304 and two touchdowns on 19 receptions.

"I do think Warren Thompson is a leader," Guiton said. "He's not a 'rah-rah' guy, but he is a guy that's going to go out there and lead by example, show guys how it's done. I'm very proud of where he's at right now."

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.