Replacing Cam Little is no easy feat, but Arkansas football has two kickers vying to try to do just that.
Hawaii transfer Matthew Shipley entered spring practice as the favorite to win the job and has been battling Vito Calvaruso, who transferred from Arkansas to Wisconsin and then back to the Razorbacks last season. Calvaruso had to sit out last year due to being a second transfer.
Neither kicker candidate has shown consistency in spring, however.
Arkansas’ practices typically end with field goal drills. On a windy Saturday, Shipley was good from 38 and 43 yards out but missed wide right from 46 and 54. Calvaruso was good from 43 but missed wide left from 46 and 54.
“That’s been a really good competition with Vito Calvaruso and Matthew Shipley,” special teams coordinator Scott Fountain said after practice Saturday. “They’ve had their ups and downs. They’ve had some perfect days, and they’ve had some days.”
Fountain recruited Shipley after the senior made 14 of 18 field goals for Hawaii in 2023, including 3 of 4 from 50 yards out or more. He was perfect from 20-39 yards and went 3 for 5 from 40-49 yards. His season long was 51.
The Texas native looked like a solid get out of the transfer portal to replace Little, one of the best kickers in Arkansas program history. Little finished his three-year career with an 82.8 field goal percentage and could be selected in the upcoming NFL Draft.
“I was kind of in the thought process [Little] would be back,” Fountain said. “It didn’t happen that way. You always have to have a plan, so you just start looking in the portal and just see what’s available.
“[Shipley] is a kid that caught my eye. He has a twin brother that kicks at Texas State. I like that, that there’s two people in the family kicking in college football. … Had a really good career at the University of Hawaii. It’s a tough place [to play]. There’s a lot of wind on the island and a lot of traveling back and forth.
Fountain said part of Shipley’s early struggles have been adjusting to the conditions at his new school.
