Arkansas football bold predictions for 2024 season

FAYETTEVILLE — A new year is rapidly approaching, and it's time to tap into the crystal ball and unveil some preseason projections for Arkansas football .

Over the next week, the Southwest Times Record will reveal a series of content previewing the upcoming season. There will be game-by-game predictions, a projected depth chart and the five most important players on the roster. There will also be a look at the best, and worst-case scenarios for the Razorbacks in 2024.

More: Where Arkansas football should be most concerned after two weeks of practice

More: Bobby Petrino's thoughts on Arkansas football's offense at midway point of fall camp

To get things started, here are three bold predictions for the Hogs this fall.

Luke Hasz leads all tight ends in receiving yards

Hasz might have topped this statistical category last year had he not sustained a broken collarbone in the loss to Texas A&M.

Through the first four games of his career, Hasz had 239 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 15 catches. His 59.8 yards per game stretched across a full 12-game season amounts to 717 receiving yards, which would have been second-best in the country last year.

Bobby Petrino is notorious for maximizing the talent at the tight end position, and couldn't help but rave about Hasz during his only fall camp press conference. Expectations are sky high for the sophomore tight end out of Oklahoma.

If he can stay healthy, Hasz gives Arkansas one of the premier offensive weapons in the SEC. He's the rare tight end that provides a big-play threat while also being a safety valve for the quarterback.

Hasz could be the focal point of the passing offense in 2024, and he only stands to benefit from improved play of wide receivers like Tyrone Broden and Isaiah Sategna.

Landon Jackson becomes a first-round pick in 2025 NFL Draft

Jackson will cement himself as one of the best defensive players in the country, raising his weekly performance closer to his ceiling and becoming a top pick in next year's draft.

He could have left Arkansas after the 2023 season, but Jackson decided to return with the goals of elevating his draft stock and getting the Hogs' program back on track.

The area that needs the most improvement is consistency, as Jackson failed to record a sack in all but one SEC game last year. That one game was a monstrous performance on the road against Alabama, where Jackson recorded 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles.

Jackson was a dominant force in the most recent scrimmage and has given the Arkansas offensive line fits throughout camp. He'll be a nightmare for SEC offensive lines and one of the first 32 players selected in mid-April.

Sam Pittman does enough to keep his job in 2025

This won't be a popular prediction with many fans.

Only Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek knows what the minimum requirements are for Pittman, but it's hard to imagine the Hogs being any worse in 2024 after last year's disappointment. Injuries, close losses and a terrible match between offensive coordinator and quarterback led to a 4-8 campaign that still wasn't enough to end Pittman's tenure as head coach.

A difficult schedule awaits the Hogs this season, but Arkansas has enough talent to add two wins to its record and show enough signs of progress to keep Pittman around.

At the end of the day, Pittman's status as head coach falls uniquely on his own two shoulders. No position is more important to the Hogs' success in 2024 — and Pittman's future — than the offensive line. Pittman has taken a bigger role in coaching the position this offseason, and if that unit goes from one of the nation's worst to average, there will be substantial improvement both offensively and in the wins column.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football bold predictions for 2024 season