Arkansas Football Report: Dan Hampton to be recognized during Saturday’s LSU game

FAYETTEVILLE – Former Arkansas All-American Dan Hampton will be honored on the field during Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against LSU by school officials and the National Football Foundation for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Hampton, a Jacksonville High School product, earned All-America honors in 1978 when he recorded 98 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, and was named the Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Hampton was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, was later selected to the Pro Bowl four times and was a member of the 1980 NFL All-Decade Team.

Hampton, part of the Bears’ dominant defense that won the Super Bowl in the 1985 season, was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1991 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Hampton was also selected as the No. 2 player on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s all-time list of the NFL’s top 10 Razorbacks in 2020, behind only Lance Alworth.

“Dan Hampton was agile, had tremendous reflexes and quickness, and possessed a unique skill set that allowed him to penetrate the offensive line and make him one of the most feared defenders of his era,” wrote Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of the NFF. “We are pleased to honor him at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.”

The entire 22-member class, which includes 19 former All-Americans and three coaches, will be unveiled at the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 10.

Other notable additions to the class include Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch, Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Marshall receiver Randy Moss, North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, Oklahoma nose guard Dewey Selmon, Utah quarterback Alex Smith and coaches Mark Dantonio and Frank Solich .

Back to Earth

The four Razorbacks who participated in interviews Tuesday night said the locker room did a good job processing the big 19-14 win over then-No. 4 Tennessee and refocuses for the second half of the season, starting against No. 8 LSU.

“Obviously we watched it on Sunday and everything was great, man,” offensive tackle Fernando Carmona said. “When you watch the film, you know you take away the good things and the bad things, and right after that you just wash it away. “In the SEC, you can’t keep those games because then you miss another big week , like we did this week. We have LSU.”

Added freshman tailback Braylen Russell: “We all come together as a brotherhood and just sit at our lockers and talk about how great it was. “Like Carmona said, we rinse it out afterward.”

Arkansas safety Jayden Johnson said he felt the team handled the downhill well after beating Tennessee.

“I’m still collecting days and getting ready for the next opponent,” Johnson said.

“I think we handled it great, and I think the main reason we handled it so well is we all knew we could do it,” defensive end Landon Jackson added.

Jackson named

Jackson was named a mid-season All-American by the Reese’s Senior Bowl. The team was selected based on film reviews, live game footage and conversations with coaches and NFL offices, according to the Senior Bowl.

Jackson was joined on defense by Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, Ole Miss tackle Walter Nolan and Ohio State tackle Tyler Hamilton.

Jackson has 23 tackles, a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, tying him for the team lead with Eric Gregory. The 6-7, 280-pounder from Texarkana, Texas, also has two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.

“His exit is a lot quicker this year than ever before, so he makes the tackle two-way,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said of Jackson.

Concert fun run

Pittman promised his wife Jamie that on one condition he would see country musician Tracy Lawrence at the Razorbacks’ opening night in Hot Springs.

“I told Jamie that if we could get four or more wins, I would leave,” Pittman said after his press conference Monday. “But I said, ‘If we don’t do this, I’m not going.'”

Arkansas (4-2, 2-1 SEC) did it by defeating Tennessee 19-14 before the opener.

Pittman said he attended Warren High School’s 47-21 home win over Hamburg on Friday and then spent the night at their home on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs before attending Saturday night’s concert at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort.

Early in his press conference, Pittman mentioned his participation in the show when asked if he had seen the broadcast of LSU’s 29-26 overtime win over Ole Miss.

“I saw the last quarter live, I think,” he said. “Of course I came in yesterday and looked at everything, but I think most of our staff saw it [watch it live].

“I was at a concert. I’ll catch hell for this too, but by the way, you know, with the tape I can watch each rerun about 50 times if I wanted. My wife wanted to go to a concert, so I went. So you all have fun with it.”

‘It’s worth it

The Razorbacks utilized a lot of three-safety schemes and relied on a 3-2-6 defensive lineup for most of the game against Tennessee.

The game plan caused some confusion for Volunteers linemen and quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and the redshirt freshman ended up throwing a lot of edge passes and not many deep or over the middle.

The formations gave transfer defensive back Larry Worth his most extensive playing time of the season, as he teamed up with cornerbacks Jaheim Singletary, Marquise Robinson and Hudson Clark, nickel Doneiko Slaughter and safeties Jayden Johnson and TJ Metcalf for much of the game.

Worth collected 7 tackles, tied for second on the team, with Metcalf trailing 8 tackles from Slaughter and linebacker Xavian Sorey, and he added a half-sack.

“You know, it was really fun,” Johnson said Tuesday night. “The more people from the DB group are on the field, the more of a show it will be.

“I just feel like he came here with the right attitude. You know, things didn’t go the way he wanted at the beginning. He just stuck with it, kept going and his time came and he showed what he could do.”