Folks back in Warren have talked about Antonio Jordan’s talent since he was a ninth grader on Bo Hembree’s Lumberjack teams.
Now that talent is starting to show up on an SEC practice field, and Arkansas receivers coach Larry Smith can’t stop talking about the jump his sophomore standout has made.
Jordan stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 228 pounds, a frame that makes him look more like a tight end than a wideout.
He’s the only receiver in a crowded nine-man competition with a locked-in job, playing the “X” spot reserved for big-bodied targets who win jump balls one-on-one.
Smith starting to see a different player now
Smith met with reporters Monday after the Razorbacks’ fifth preseason practice, and he didn’t hold back on what he’s seen from Jordan.
“He’s made huge strides from the spring until now,” Smith said. “And it’s shown. In the spring he had several missed assignments, MAs, because he was still kind of learning the offense and trying to process the information.”
That’s a big change from March, when Smith praised Jordan’s ability but also called him out for not taking care of his body and not yet understanding the offense like a pro.
A summer built around routine
Jordan didn’t wait around this offseason.
He built a daily schedule at the football center showing up around 11:30 a.m., meeting one-on-one with coaches at noon for roughly 45 minutes, heading to study hall at 1 p.m. and lifting weights at 2:30 p.m.
“That’s been huge for his development, his confidence and knowledge of the offense,” Smith said. “But him coming in and meeting with us every single day, one-on-one time, it’s been huge for AJ and his confidence.”
The Hogs still see room to grow. Smith pointed to pad level as the next fix for a player who towers over most defensive backs.
“The thing we’ve got to continue to work on with AJ is his pad level,” Smith said. “Obviously, he’s [6-6], so when those DBs get under his pads at times, sometimes we’ve got to work on some pad level things with him. But he’s willing to work on that. We just actually finished some stuff post-practice today on that.”
Coaches, teammates long believed in ceiling
Silverfield talked up Jordan’s frame and physical tools back in March, saying the roster came together around one clear truth.
“Coming into the initial roster, you sat there and said, ‘OK, well, that’s one true X,'” Silverfield said. “We knew going in, man, this kid has talent. He’s a high-hipped young man that’s physical.”
Former offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino echoed that belief before last season, saying, “There’s no question he’s going to be a tremendous player here.”
Jordan never got that chance to show it as a true freshman because a severe ankle sprain cut his 2025 season short. Senior receiver Ismael Cisse missed all of last year too, dealing with a wrist injury from the weight room, but he’s watched Jordan’s turnaround up close this preseason.
“I just felt like this year, he’s really trying to understand that he could do something big and help us win games,” Cisse said. “He’s just locked in more mentally, I would say, is the biggest thing.”
Ceiling is still growing
Cisse also pointed out just how rare Jordan’s size and skill set really are.
“You’ve got a 6-6 receiver,” Cisse said. “Not too many people have got that. Not too many teams, not even in the SEC, just around the world, have got that.”
Smith closed his Monday session with the same excitement, describing traits that simply can’t be taught.
“He has such a huge catch radius,” Smith said. “If you throw it up, he’s going to find a way to come down with it. The kid just has natural ball skills, and that’s something that myself or Coach Cramsey, Coach Silverfield, we can’t coach that size that he has.”
Arkansas still has to sort out its receiver room before the season opener, but Razorbacks fans in Warren already know what Jordan can become if the mental side keeps catching up to the physical gifts.
Key takeaways
- Antonio Jordan is the only Arkansas receiver with a set role this preseason, playing the outside “X” spot.
- Coach Larry Smith says Jordan’s daily summer routine led to a “night and day” improvement in his knowledge of the offense.
- Pad level remains Jordan’s biggest technical hurdle, but coaches and teammates believe his size and ball skills are impossible to coach.
