FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas quarterback Matt Jones had a little more bounce in his step Sunday as the Razorbacks completed their first day of spring practice.

Jones will double at wide receiver next season, giving his right throwing shoulder a break. He has been undergoing rehabilitation on his shoulder throughout the past month.

Jones was at receiver for several plays during pass skeletons on Sunday, taking a crash course in routes with reserve quarterback Ryan Sorahan at the helm.

Jones played at receiver some during his freshman year, and over the holiday break, he and head coach Houston Nutt decided Jones would split time at both positions.

"I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win, if that means going out to receiver or whatever, then that's what I want to do,'' Jones said. "My shoulder is, I would say, the main reason why I'm out there (at receiver). We just got to take it slow. There's no reason to have me throwing it out when we don't play for four or five months.''

Nutt said he was impressed with Jones' performance at both positions, which will be a key factor in the Razorbacks' offensive schemes.

"We're hoping it's going to be a package ... plus we're a little thin at wideout,'' Nutt said.

While Jones is out at receiver, Ryan Sorahan will be seeing more time as the signal caller. No plans have been made as to how much time Jones and Sorahan will each see at quarterback, as redshirt freshmen Rhett Lashlee and Cedric Washington also will be vying for time during spring practice.

"I was really pleased; it's fun to be out here again,'' Sorahan said. "I really don't know what to expect. I'm just keeping my nose to the grindstone and working as hard as I can and we'll see what happens.''

Jones and Sorahan had their first practice with new quarterbacks coach David Witke, who had good first impressions of both veterans.

"Ryan's got a good arm; he's accurate for the most part,'' Witke said. "Matt's a good athlete. He's still fighting through with the shoulder, doing as much as he possibly can. Both are extremely receptive ... and very eager to learn.''

The 2 1/2-hour practice started slow until the passing drills when the quarterbacks were hitting their targets, but it was to be expected, Witke said.

"They're getting used to me and I'm getting used to them, and we're asking them to do some things that are different,'' Witke said. "Sometimes they way you say something ... can slow them down, but we're going to work through that as the spring goes on.''