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ROGERS – Keon Hatcher and Drew Morgan are in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean Arkansas’ wide receiver room is empty.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Wide receivers coach Michael Smith told the media Monday that the Razorbacks are healthier than ever at the position.

“In my tenure here, this is probably the most talent I’ve had at the position from top to bottom,” Smith said. “We have some talent and it’s my job to get them right with the Xs and Os and technique.”

Smith will need to get the unit’s younger players ready to play quicker than usual, though, because Arkansas must replace a large chunk of its wide receiver production from a year ago.

In addition to Hatcher and Morgan, Cody Hollister and Dominique Reed also graduated, meaning Jared Cornelius is the only receiver on the Razorbacks’ roster with more than two career receptions.

Despite that departed quartet accounting for 339 receptions, 4,762 yards and 42 touchdowns during their UA careers, head coach Bret Bielema isn’t losing sleep about it.

“Well I think anytime you lose players of quality you are concerned, but as a coach you maybe don't get as concerned as the outside world because you've seen things come along,” Bielema said.

Cornelius, who caught 32 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2016, is coming off a season in which he was the top slot receiver in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus, and is expected to be Arkansas’ No. 1 receiver this year.

Behind him is a “covey of guys looking to establish themselves,” Bielema said.

Smith said sophomore Deon Stewart will start alongside Cornelius when fall camp begins Thursday, but sophomore LaMichael Pettway, redshirt freshman Jordan Jones and junior-college transfers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance would likely get first-team reps, too.

He also confirmed that sophomore T.J. Hammonds will remain in his group as a slot receiver despite the retirement of Rawleigh Williams III at running back.

“We're not dumb,” Smith said. “People are going to take J-Red away from us and it depends on how the rest of that group plays. If those guys are up to par or play better than that, he's going to have a good year.”

Including those who only play on special teams, the Razorbacks have traveled with eight receivers on the roster in the past, but could go up to as many as nine.

That means one or two more receivers, in addition to the seven previously mentioned, have a chance to earn a spot on the travel roster.

Among those vying for that last spot or two are four 2017 signees: Maleek Barkley, Jarrod Barnes, Koilan Jackson and De’Vion Warren.

It is a unique group because the quartet combined to play just one season of high school football as a wide receiver.

That lone season of receiver experience belongs to Jackson, who was a quarterback at Little Rock (Ark.) Parkview before transferring to Little Rock (Ark.) Joe T. Robinson. Barnes and Warren were quarterbacks at Cabot (Ark.) and Monroe (La.) Ouachita Parish, respectively, while Barkley was a running back at Austin (Texas) Lake Travis.

Being a former high school quarterback who played receiver in college, Smith is up to the challenge.

“I don’t teach hips and I don’t teach feet,” Smith said. “All of those guys already have that. My thing is to develop them from a technique standpoint at wide receiver.”

The Razorbacks will have a couple of new walk-on receivers from small Arkansas high schools to consider, as well.

De’Shawn Gulledge averaged 15.2 yards per touch as a receiver, running back and returner at Bald Knob and Gary Cross was recruited out of Fordyce but spent the last three years at Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C.

Cross, who was also a talented safety in high school, was recently added to the roster and could be awarded a scholarship at some point down the line.

“I love the kid’s makeup,” Smith said. “I think he’s a tough, extremely athletic wide receiver that’s going to help us.

“I haven’t seen him do a lot of things because we’ve been on vacation, but in the couple Hoganese meetings we’ve had, he’s been very attentive.”

With fall camp just a couple days away, Smith is excited to see what all of the receivers – freshmen and returning players, scholarship guys and walk-ons – bring to the table.

“I’m going to give them opportunities to go out there and get dirty,” Smith said. “If they’re able to perform the way we think they will, we’re going to be deep.”

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