Spencer put charge into Bulldogs
When you think of the word electric in football it’s typically something happening on offense. Whether that be a running back shaking a defender out of their shoes, a receiver high-pointing a ball in the air or a quarterback letting it fly across the field on a dime.
But that’s the first word that comes to mind for Fayetteville Coach Casey Dick when he thinks about defensive end Kaden Spencer, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s All-Arkansas Preps Defensive Player of the Year.
The senior was a system-altering force for the Bulldogs this season on their way to a 13-0 record, the school’s first-ever undefeated season, and a Class 7A state championship win over rival Bentonville, becoming the first team from the 7A-West Conference to win it since 2016.
In 2023, the 6-3, 210-pound Spencer piled up 92 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hurries and 10 sacks as the defensive star on a loaded Bulldogs defense.
Spencer transferred to Fayetteville from Springdale prior to the season with his twin brother Mason, a 1,000-yard receiver for Fayetteville this season, and instantly changed the outlook of the team’s defense.
“I knew he played a whole lot [at Springdale], so he kind of had that street credit to him, the kids kind of knew what he was about,” Dick said. “I think he’s the most electric defensive player in the state. And I think when you go pop on the film, his film backs it up snap after snap.
“Offensive linemen, their schemes had to change every week because of him, where they slid protections, how they’re going to block things because he was so dynamic.”
Dick recalled that Spencer had terrorized his team in 2022 as a junior at Springdale. The numbers from that game don’t jump off the page — 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a half-sack — but the lasting memory of shifting protection his way did.
“We couldn’t block him,” Dick said, laughing.
Spencer’s specialty is breaking through offensive lines and blowing up running plays before they get started. In the 7A championship game, Spencer had 6 tackles, 1 sack and 2 1/2 tackles for loss as the Bulldogs’ defensive front was instrumental in the win.
“To me, they have one of the top defenses in the state, and they’re led by their D-line,” Bentonville Coach Jody Grant said after the game. “Those guys are tough to block and have been disruptive all year.”
That was a common theme for Fayetteville throughout the season. With Spencer leading the way, a cast of defensive players made life miserable for opposing offenses. Teammates Trey Lisle, Landon Jones and Rhett Tidwell combined for 74 tackles for loss and 24 sacks.
Dick credits the collaboration of co-defensive coordinators Devonte Britt and Derek Davis with defensive line coach Corey Harris for the success of a defense that held multiple teams to season-lows.
“We have the best D-line in the state,” he said after the championship game. “Coach Harris, our defensive line coach, does a great job of really getting with Coach Davis, our front-half defensive coordinator, and Coach Britt. Those three are like mad scientists. You don’t really ever know what it’s going to look like, but the plan is awesome. You just got to kind of step back and let them go to work and let them do their job.
“You look at what they’re done all year with the sacks, the hurries, the pressures, all those things — they have been unbelievable.”
In Spencer’s two seasons on varsity for Springdale, the Bulldogs went 3-17. When he and his brother transferred to Fayetteville in January 2023, they got right to work alongside the returning players to build toward bringing a state championship back to the 7A-West.
“As a coach, I don’t think you ever see or think that that amount of growth is going to take place,” Dick said. “But once you step back and you see it’s like OK, well, these guys have been working at it for an extended amount of time. So you weren’t really caught off guard, you just don’t really know how all the pieces are going to impact each other until you get in there and bullets start flying.
“Towards the end of the year is when it really took off for us.”