Three bold predictions for Arkansas football in 2023

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

To get things started, here are three bold predictions for Arkansas football in 2023.

Arkansas finishes the season ranked

Think this prediction isn't that bold? The Razorbacks have been ranked inside the top 25 of the final AP Poll just four times this century. Head coach Sam Pittman and the Hogs were 21st at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

The bare minimum requirement for this prediction is a 7-5 regular season and a win in the bowl game. That was the recipe for both Texas and South Carolina to get into the final AP Poll last season.

An 8-4 season with a bowl win would likely guarantee the Razorbacks a spot in the final rankings. This team feels talented enough to get to eight wins, but the brutal schedule to open SEC play will be the biggest challenge.

Can the Razorbacks find some way to go 2-2 in a four-game stretch against LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss? Anything better than .500 and perhaps the Fayetteville faithful can start talking about a trip to Atlanta in early December.

Rocket Sanders leads the SEC in rushing

The junior running back came agonizingly close to accomplishing this feat in 2022, finishing 50 yards behind Ole Miss' Quinshon Judkins in the regular season. Both Sanders and Judkins are back this fall to duke it out once more for the rushing title.

I like Sanders in Round II. Coach Pittman has talked all offseason about the Razorbacks needing to be more physical in 2023, and the easiest way to establish that physicality is with a grind-it-out run game.

Even with KJ Jefferson's salivating combination of athleticism and arm strength, this year's Arkansas offense will be smash mouth and balanced, allowing Sanders to put up a career year and elevate his stock for the next NFL Draft. He could easily eclipse the 1,500-yard mark, and if there is a serious Heisman Trophy candidate on this Arkansas roster, put my preseason vote down for Sanders.

Two Razorbacks make All-SEC First Team Defense

Defensive back Dwight McGlothern was named to the second team and the only Hog recognized on the preseason list. The rest of the defense might feel snubbed, but the valuation from SEC media members feels fair after how much the Arkansas defense struggled in 2022.

However, there are a lot of fresh faces with massive upside who could find themselves as one of the league's top defenders by season's end. Defensive line transfers Anthony Booker Jr. and Trajan Jeffcoat are receiving rave reviews from the Arkansas coaches, while Jaheim Singletary and Alfahiym Walcott should help McGlothern improve the Arkansas secondary this fall.

There are also some familiar names, like Landon Jackson and Chris Paul Jr., who seem poised for a massive leap in production. I'm betting on this Arkansas defense being vastly improved in 2023, and two Razorbacks getting some much-deserved acclaim from the rest of the league for their impact.