We continue to follow the concert goers who got caught on the kiss cam. Plus our first ever discussion about toe nails. We also mention the Razorbacks at one point and how they can become relevant again in football.
Three Razorbacks earn preseason All-SEC honors at Media Days
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When the SEC announced its preseason honors this week, Arkansas football saw three of its own named among the league’s best.
Redshirt seniors Fernando Carmona, Devin Bale and Cam Ball earned spots on the Preseason All-SEC teams, a testament to breakout performances that shaped the Razorbacks’ 2024 season.
Fernando Carmona, a six-foot-five, 325-pound offensive lineman, headlines the trio. The Las Vegas native anchored Arkansas’s offensive line, starting all 13 games in 2024.
His efforts helped the Razorbacks average 459.5 yards of total offense per game placing them 10th nationally. Carmona was especially strong in pass protection, where Arkansas ranked 18th in the country with 274.7 passing yards per game. The Razorbacks piled up 5,973 total yards, the fourth-most in program history, with Carmona paving the way.
Carmona’s ability to keep the quarterback upright was clear in Arkansas’s highest-scoring games.
During a 58-25 win over Mississippi State last October, the Razorbacks piled up 673 yards of offense without allowing a single sack.
Carmona’s dominance was also on display in the season opener, when Arkansas rolled to a 70-0 shutout over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, racking up 687 yards.
These performances contributed to Carmona’s selection as a Second-Team preseason All-SEC honoree, and earlier this week, he was named First-Team Preseason All-SEC by the USA Today Sports Network.
Devin Bale, Arkansas’s punter, made an immediate impact during his first season with the team in 2024. Bale punted 41 times for 1,855 yards, averaging 45.2 yards per punt.
It would have ranked in the top 15 nationally if he had met the minimum attempts. Bale showcased his precision and power by pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line 11 times, with another 11 punts traveling over 50 yards.
His ability to flip the field was crucial in tight contests, including a 19-14 win over No. 4 Tennessee, where he launched a season-long 66-yard punt.
Bale’s knack for placing punts deep in enemy territory showed up in key moments. Against LSU, he pinned the Tigers at their own 2-yard line, and he repeated the feat against Oklahoma State, trapping them at the 1. Such performances helped earn him Third-Team Preseason All-SEC recognition from the league’s media.
On the defensive side, Cam Ball brings experience and consistency. The Atlanta native has appeared in 39 games with 20 starts, and in 2024, he started all 13 contests as a redshirt junior.
Ball tallied a career-high 47 tackles, including four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He added two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery to his stat line, providing a steady presence on the Razorbacks’ defensive front.
Ball’s contributions were especially notable in postseason play. During Arkansas’ Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech, Ball recorded five tackles and a quarterback hurry.
He capped off the regular season with a career-high seven tackles against Missouri, including one for loss. In the win over Mississippi State, Ball recovered a fumble, made three tackles, and assisted on a sack, helping to secure a decisive victory.
With the 2025 season set to begin on August 30, Arkansas will open at home against Alabama A&M at Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network.
The preseason recognition for Carmona, Bale, and Ball sets expectations for a program looking to build on last year’s offensive fireworks and defensive grit.
The Razorbacks’ offensive line, with Carmona at its core, will look to replicate last year’s production.
The team’s ability to dominate both in the trenches and through the air was a defining feature of the 2024 campaign, and Carmona’s durability and skill remain central to those efforts.
Bale’s emergence as a reliable weapon in the punting game gives Arkansas a field position advantage few in the SEC can match. His blend of distance and touch turned potential scoring drives for opponents into uphill battles, often forcing long fields. The coaching staff expects Bale to be a difference-maker in tight games.
Ball’s return solidifies the defensive front, where his experience and playmaking ability will be counted on to stifle opposing offenses. The confidence he displayed in postseason matchups bodes well for a unit intent on improvement.
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Tye and Tommy make a return back to Arkansas just in time to argue over the etiquette of dealing with opposing head coaches. Hear from Arkansas QB Taylen Green and more.
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Olesen cards 67, shares Open Championship lead after first round at Portrush
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Jacob Skov Olesen, a Danish amateur and former Arkansas Razorback, shot a 4-under 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Olesen, 25, birdied the first hole to set the tone and finished tied atop the leaderboard with Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christian Bezuidenhout and Harris English.
It was a composed round under challenging conditions that left Olesen in position to become one of the storylines of this year’s championship.
“It was just one of those days where everything felt in sync,” Olesen said. “I kept the mistakes small, played the percentages and tried to give myself chances. That’s all you can do out here.”
After a string of pars, Olesen birdied the par-5 seventh but bogeyed the par-4 eighth before making the turn at 1 under. He picked up another birdie at 10, made a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-5 12th and chipped in for birdie at 15. A bogey at 18 concluded a round that drew attention across the course and in his home country.
Olesen won The Amateur Championship in 2024, becoming the first Dane to claim the title since its inception in 1885 (Golf Monthly).
That victory earned him a spot in last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool, where he made the cut and finished 60th. He also led Team International to victory at the Palmer Cup in Ireland, going 3-1 in his matches.
Olesen’s performance at Arkansas was equally impressive. In his only season with the Razorbacks, he was named a second-team All-American and first-team All-SEC. He set the school record for season scoring average at 69.94, recorded 16 rounds in the 60s and tied the program mark with 24 rounds at par or better.
“He’s always been able to focus on the next shot, no matter the circumstance,” Arkansas coach Brad McMakin said. “His numbers last season were off the charts, but it’s his approach to the game that sets him apart.”
Royal Portrush was a tough test for the field, with crosswinds and thick rough challenging even the most experienced players.
“The rough is brutal this year, but Olesen kept it in play and took his chances when they came,” Sky Sports commentator Ewan Murray said during Thursday’s broadcast.
Olesen credited his background as a greenkeeper in Denmark and recent international play for preparing him for the moment.
“When you’ve raked bunkers or cut greens at dawn, you understand how much work goes into every detail,” he said. “It gives you respect for the course and everyone involved.”
His opening 67 brought praise from fellow players.
“He’s got the game, no doubt,” Fitzpatrick said. “What impressed me today was how he handled the course. He looked like he belonged.”
As Olesen prepares for the second round, he remains focused on the basics. More wind and rain are in the forecast, and Royal Portrush is known for its unpredictability.
“It’s just round one,” he said. “I’m happy with where I am, but there’s so much golf left. I’ll stick to my routine and keep grinding.”
Olesen left the course Thursday evening signing autographs for Danish supporters.
“This is special,” he said. “I’m grateful for the support, and I hope I can keep making them proud.”
The Open continues Friday with Olesen seeking to build on his strong start and maintain his place atop one of golf’s most storied leaderboards.
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Everything Arkansas QB Taylen Green said at SEC Media Days
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green burst onto the scene last season and will be back with the Razorbacks in 2025. Green was one of three Arkansas players to appear at SEC Media Days. Here’s everything he said:
Q. What do you feel like you bring to the table from a tangibles and intangibles perspective heading into this season?
TAYLEN GREEN: I would say, of course, my versatility on the football field, whether I can run, I can pass the ball. But just to be able to move the chains no matter what the defense is, what the defense is looking or showing. But especially off the field, I feel like one of the most important things is just to be a leader and just be that glue guy, whether it’s the O line or whether that’s receivers, offense, defense, just being that glue guy to bond and build that chemistry with my teammates.
Q. Last year, you were new to the team, trying to win the job and win over the locker room. Does it feel more like your team? What’s different about this offseason, your second one, with Arkansas?
TAYLEN GREEN: I would say just like media days, just more comfortable knowing what to expect and knowing what I have to get better at. And now I have the film to look at from last year, not just looking at install tapes of — of course, Lamar Jackson and the past quarterbacks that’s been here, that’s ran Coach Petrino’s offense.
But I feel like knowing what to expect. But, of course, it’s a new year and there’s going to be new defenses and new players. But I have an idea of it, though.
Q. What lessons from last year do you think you are using to approach this season and kind of replicate or do better with your stats?
TAYLEN GREEN: I would say first take care of my body. My body is my business. I know I hear that a lot, but I had a firsthand experience of last year. I was a little banged up.
But I have a great strength staff with Coach Sowders and his strength staff and the great athletic training staff, shout out to them, Vince and Paulina, shout-out to you all. They have me stretching and rolling out, doing the things I have to do. That’s the most important thing is to take care of my body, whether it’s physically or mentally, be prepared, not just for practice but for the game.
Everybody knows that the SEC is physical, but I heard it all last year, but I actually got to experience it. It’s a beat-down. But it gets you ready for the league and that’s what the league is about.
Q. How is playing for Coach Petrino changed how you view the game or your position? Any lessons you can think of that you’ve taken from Coach?
TAYLEN GREEN: I’d say two biggest things, how he comes to work every single day, no matter what he’s going through, no matter if he got a little bit of sleep or a lot of sleep, he’s going to bring it every single day. Knowing how the game is — is the defense playing amazing? Is the defense not? Do I have to control the ball? Do I have to run it more? Knowing how the opposing defense is also playing.
Just being — I would say before Coach Petrino I would just play the game, get a first down, try to score. But knowing the intricate details of what specifically is the defensive coordinator’s game plan and how are you going to combat that.
Coach Petrino, you already know, Coach Petrino knows. But also at the same time I have to know that, too, because I’m the one playing. And we have to be on the same page with that.
Q. You had mentioned Lamar Jackson. What do you feel you take away from his game? And are there any other quarterbacks you model yourself after or would compare yourself to?
TAYLEN GREEN: I feel like everybody sees what he did at Louisville with his running ability and passing ability. But I’d say his feel of the game is what jumps off the page when I watch his tape. He’s not just robotic of one read, two read, three read. He’s going to read the whole defense.
It might not be in — we call it true or pure progression — if he’s open he’s going to throw it. So not just being robotic in his play.
That’s what Coach Petrino says a lot: Don’t be robotic; be fluid; trust your instincts.
That’s what I love about watching Lamar, but also a couple guys that I model my game after. I went to Allen, Texas, and been training with Kyler Murray’s dad for a long time. Kyler Murray growing up, what he did in high school was insane.
But also Josh Allen, his big frame and how he uses his body to — he’d be truckin’ dudes too. I gotta get that up.
Q. Coach Pittman talked about the importance of the rivalry versus Texas versus the rival versus Texas A&M. You’re a Texas native. What would a win over one of those two programs, potentially a top-15, top-10 program, mean for not only the program but for you personally?
TAYLEN GREEN: For me, personally, honestly, it’s good, but it’s not really about me. That Hog behind me is what I do it for, the pride that I have just wearing that hog on the side of my helmet or on the front of my chest, doing it for the state because I know what it means to them and just embracing that, embracing that culture that we have here.
Q. Your teammate, Cameron, was in here a little bit earlier. He had nice things to say about you. He talked about the energy that the team gets from Travis Williams. I know it’s the other side of the ball, but your interactions with Coach Travis and what he brings to the table?
TAYLEN GREEN: I would say, one, energy. His energy will trickle down to everybody on that defense, even offense. It could be all campus long. It could be practice 13, 14, and he’s still jumping around, running around, people be going like that and stuff.
But when we hear the defense making loud noise and jumping around and playing, as an offense, we’re, like, okay, we’ve got to come to play today. What I love about our practices is it’s competitive. There’s going to be a winner. There’s going to be a loser that day.
And offensively, speaking for the offense, we don’t want to be on the losing side. That’s what I love about the practices and this team is it’s real competitive.
Q. How does the experience that you have coming from Boise State and now going into your second year at Arkansas, how does that contribute on the field and playing into some of the most hostile environments in the SEC in your second year with another top-five hardest schedule in the country?
TAYLEN GREEN: That’s a good question. I would say I’m glad and I’m appreciative of my time at Boise because it has kind of a similar feel to Fayetteville. The SEC — not the SEC, but it’s the only team in town. When you walk around, they’re going to know your name. They’re going to take pictures, stuff like that.
But learning, applying what I learned there to here, just, you know, being the most prepared person on that field, whether it’s a new install, staying up late to studying and that’s why I’ve learned the biggest in Boise.
I knew my process. I knew how — some people flash cards. I’d write on the whiteboard, I’d write on the tablet and just do it. I’m just a repetitive learner. I’m a visual learner. I’ll do walk-throughs. I’d say my preparation from Boise to Arkansas has been the biggest thing.
Q. What do you feel like your best attribute is as a quarterback? And how would you describe the responsibilities at the line heading into the season?
TAYLEN GREEN: My best attributes, I would say similar, versatility, doing whatever it takes to move the ball. Like I said, Josh Allen, he’s going to try to truck somebody. I’m getting some weight up so I can do that.
But just doing whatever it takes to win. If that’s checking the ball down, throwing it deep, getting dirty, just doing whatever it takes.
Q. Your responsibilities at the line.
TAYLEN GREEN: Coach Petrino gives me full rein of checking the play or changing the protection and he gives me the keys to the car, as some would say. Grateful to have. He doesn’t put me in no box, and he doesn’t want me to be robotic.
It’s a lot of responsibility, but at the same time that’s what I signed up for. As he said, it’s occupational hazard.
Q. We didn’t get into this in the other room, but, of course, everybody is looking at you as a leader of the team as the returning quarterback. What’s different about you as a leader now than maybe this time last year? What are you taking on in leadership?
TAYLEN GREEN: I feel like last year, since I didn’t play, I was more a lead-by-example type of person. But at the same time, what I’ve learned from last year to this year, being more vocal, of course, lead by example but being more vocal in the huddle, especially on the sideline. When my team needs a spark of energy or spark of words, like, I need to be that fuel to the fire and just being real intentional and holding everybody accountable, whether that’s in practice or in the game.
