Hogs’ Morris speaks at luncheon
FAYETTEVILLE Having addressed the annual Arkansas Kickoff luncheon last Friday in Springdale, the Little Rock Touchdown Club Monday and with his first weekly radio show from The Catfish Hole in Fayetteville still ahead Wednesday night, Arkansas coach Chad Morris promised to try to not repeat himself addressing Wednesday’s Northwest Arkansas Kickoff Club’s noon luncheon at Mermaid’s Restaurant in Fayetteville.
So, after attributing the state’s hunger for Razorbacks winning football attracting record attendance announced at the three luncheons, the Razorbacks’ new head football coach pumped the brakes on his customary “hammer down/left lane” refrain.
Morris instead talked of those who most influenced him to coach when he was a 21-year-old math teacher and coach pondering becoming an accountant, applying for the FBI or following his father’s footsteps as a fireman.
“Relationships,” he was told, are key to any profession. Certainly true in coaching, Morris said from experience.
Relationships establish a culture, Morris said.
He defined a team’s culture as “nothing more than a belief that drives a behavior that produces a result.”
Inheriting a Razorbacks team that floundered at 4-8 last season and “unacceptable at the University of Arkansas no matter who is coaching,” Morris said he demanded a culture change.
“We talked about the reverse engineering effect that a change in behavior will bring a change in result,” Morris said.
Morris recalled an incident changing his own behavior.
With firemen customarily working 24-hour shifts and then being off the next 48, Morris said his father also had a business painting houses.
His father so painstakingly prepared a house to be painted that the prep took far longer than the painting, Morris recalled.
Morris and his brother to themselves silently cussed the caulking and painstaking prep.
So when his father was called to another job and left his sons in charge, Morris said he and his brother took prep shortcuts towards starting the painting faster.
But not fast enough to pull a fast one on their dad.
“My brother and I we halfway did it,” Morris recalled.
“We just did enough caulk for show. He came back and threw a fit and said, ‘Get out of here! I’ll do this! These people are expecting your best work. What you put into it is what you and they get out of it.’ My father said, ‘If it’s worthy of your time, it’s worthy of your best time.’”
Morris said that goes back to “culture, belief, and accountability.”
Morris did promise to “talk some football” and eventually did.
He remained not ready Wednesday to name a starting quarterback in the battle between fourth-year junior Ty Storey and third-year sophomore Cole Kelley, but said, “I’m excited about the battle.”
He expressed the most offensive unit excitement about “the great stable of running backs” that include juniors Devwah Whaley and T.J. Hammonds, junior college transfer Rakeem Boyd, sophomore Chase Hayden and redshirt freshman Maleek Williams.
“I feel running back is the deepest position that we have,” Morris said.
Starting with junior incumbent left tackle Colton Jackson requiring back surgery in July through projected redshirt freshman replacement Dustin Wagner last week requiring an appendectomy, Morris said, “there have been setbacks in the offensive line. But that’s why we have 85 scholarships. It’s next man up. And I believe we’ll have Colton Jackson back in the next few weeks.”
Jackson’s return initially was forecast at midseason at the earliest, but Morris has said the 6-6, 300-pounder is “healing ahead of schedule.”
After Tuesday’s practice, Morris lauded Austin Capps, the junior from Star City who was moved from defensive tackle to left guard.
“Austin Capps is coming along,” Morris said. “I’m very proud of him and where he’s at.”
Morris Wednesday said hiring veteran SEC defensive coordinator John Chavis has proven “a huge, huge plus.”
“You’ll see a very different defense than what you’ve seen in the past,” Morris said.
“He brings pressure from everywhere. You have to look around on water break because you think he’s bringing pressure then, too.
“He’s really excited about changing the culture of our defense.”
Morris especially cited weakside and middle linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Scoota Harris, cornerback Ryan Pulley, safety Santos Ramirez, Kamren Curl, switched last spring from corner to strong safety, cornerback Chevin Calloway, backup corner Montaric “Buster” Brown and defensive ends Randy Ramsey and Gabe Richardson.
In a brief Q&A with attending fans, Morris cited safeties Joe Foucha and Myles Mason as the true freshmen most counted upon to play right away approaching the season opener Sept. 1 against Eastern Illinois.
Responding to a question about standout walk-ons, Morris immediately cited third-year sophomore backup middle linebacker Grant Morgan.
“I’m excited about Grant,” Morris said. “Grant’s been a part of this program for several years and he’s made a huge impact.”