Six Razorbacks land on Phil Steele's All-SEC list

It's almost talking season ahead of the 2025 college football season, and six Razorbacks were named to the Preseason All-SEC team by Phil Steele on Friday.

The Preseason All-SEC list from Phil Steele includes offensive linemen Fernando Carmona Jr. and Corey Robinson, defensive tackle Cam Ball, linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr., punter Devin Bale and wide receiver/punt returner Kam Shanks.

Both Shanks and Robinson are in Fayetteville for their first seasons with the Razorbacks, as Shanks transferred from Alabama-Birmingham and Robinson transferred from Georgia Tech.

Carmona is entering his second season with Arkansas. Last season, he played at left tackle, but he moved inside during spring practice and that's where he's likely to play in 2025. That move comes after Robinson — who also played left tackle at Georgia Tech — transferred in over the offseason.

While at Georgia Tech last year, Robinson posted a 67.8 overall grade on Pro Football Focus, with a 91.0 pass block and 54.6 run block grade in 539 snaps.

Shanks spent two seasons at UAB and led all FBS players in punt return yards (329), punt return average (20.6), and punt return touchdowns (2). He was named a finalist for the Jet Award, which honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football.

Ball is entering his fifth and final season of college football, and he's spent his entire career at Arkansas. Last season, he started all 13 games and posted 47 total tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Sorey transferred in from Georgia ahead of last season and immediately cemented himself as one of the best linebackers on the team. He led the team in tackles with 99 and tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 9.5. He started all 13 games and also registered two sacks, an interception, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries.

Sorey ranked sixth in the SEC in tackles per game and led the Razorbacks in tackles in five games last season.

It's weird to say that the punter is one of the best players on the team, but Devin Bale fits that description. He averaged 45.2 yards per punt and had 11 punts of 50+ yards. He had two that were downed within two yards of the goal line and had a season-long 66-yard punt against Tennessee.

The Razorbacks will begin fall camp in August in preparation for the start of the season against Alabama A&M on Aug. 30. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for more coverage of Arkansas football.