Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Razorbacks football report
Board OKs new salary for Rhoads
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas board of trustees approved a salary of $700,000 for firstyear Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads on Thursday.
The length of Rhoads’ amended contract is not publicly available, as the full document has not yet been completed. Rhoads was paid $350,000 last year, his first on Coach Bret Bielema’s staff as defensive backs coach.
Bielema’s coordinators — Rhoads and Dan Enos — will combine for the same salary as Enos and defensive coordinator Robb Smith made in 2016, when Smith was paid $800,000 and Enos made $700,000. Enos signed an amended contract in January that bumped his salary to $800,000 in 2017 and $850,000 next year.
The salary total for Arkansas’ nine assistants in 2017 is $3.895 million, a raise of 1.6 percent over the total of $3.83 million in 2016.
Rhoads, the head coach at Iowa State from 2009-15, is being paid $750,000 per year through 2021 as part of his buyout from the Cyclones, per the Des Moines Register.
Gibson lagging
Johnny Gibson, who started the final five games last season at right guard, isn’t working with the starters or the second-team offensive lines.
“Johnny had a team issue that is keeping him out of the first group or actually getting team reps period,” offensive line coach Kurt Anderson said. “He’ll work his way back in there when Coach [Bret] Bielema sees fit for that.”
Gibson, a redshirt junior from Dumas who was put on scholarship late last season, is limited to individual drills for now.
“My advice to him is that people make mistakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to learn from them,” Anderson said. “He’s got to turn this into a positive and attack every workout, every practice. As he earns back the trust of the head coach and his line coach and his teammates, he’ll get his reps back in there.
“He’s obviously very talented. He understands that. So I would expect nothing less from Johnny Gibson that when he gets his opportunity that he’s going to try and seize the moment.”
Senior Jake Raulerson is working at first-team right guard and junior Zach Rogers is getting reps with the second team.
Backup QB battle
Sophomore Ty Storey and redshirt freshman Cole Kelley are splitting reps at second-team quarterback and have looked good after the first two spring practices, offensive coordinator Dan Enos said.
“There’s really no favorite right now,” Enos said. “Those guys are going to duke it out. This is something that probably will go on, I’m sure, all the way through spring into fall camp. But we like both of them.”
Tight end situation
The Razorbacks have part-time starter Austin Cantrell back at tight end with highly regarded junior college signee Jeremy Patton headed to campus in the summer.
However, one of the team’s many returners appears ready to make major strides this season.
“C.J. O’Grady, for one, has taken a huge step,” offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. “I think playing the last couple games, he had a few catches in those games, and I think that really helped his confidence going into the offseason.”
O’Grady caught 3 passes for 63 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl.
He ranked third among tight ends in receptions behind Jeremy Sprinkle’s 33 for 380 yards, and Cantrell’s 13 for 120 yards.
Moving inside
The Razorbacks moved Thursday’s practice inside to the Walker Pavilion due to afternoon rain and wet conditions.
Prep, practice
Bret Bielema said he’s pleased with the role quarterback Austin Allen has taken in leading the team off the field. “There are two great things that go into getting better: preparation and practice,” Bielema said. “Practice, I can set up X amount of hours, but they are limited by the NCAA. … But preparation for an individual is unlimited.
“Austin has taken a lead on that. I popped in on Saturday afternoon and was amazed at how many guys are down in there working out.”
Skipper’s wedding
Several Arkansas players and coaches attended the wedding of ex-Hog Dan Skipper — an all-SEC offensive tackle as a senior — and Mackenzie Moore last Saturday at the Fort Worth Zoo.
“You say ‘The zoo?’ but it was a beautiful wedding I’m telling you,” said center Frank Ragnow, who was a groomsman.
Ragnow said he expected Skipper to be nervous, but his former teammate did just fine.
“He wrote these beautiful vows,” Ragnow said. “You should have seen that side of Dan. It was delightful.”
Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson, strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert and assistant athletic director for football operations Mark Taurisani attended the wedding along with several former Razorbacks, including Grant Cook and Mitch Smothers.
“It was a fun little family reunion,” Ragnow said.
Ex-Hog honored
Former Arkansas Razorback Trey Flowers of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots had his high school jersey No. 88 retired at Columbia High School in Huntsville, Ala., this week.
Flowers, who wore No. 86 during his career at Arkansas, was a standout in New England’s 34-28 overtime victory against Atlanta in the Super Bowl with 2.5 sacks and a teamhigh 6 tackles.
Flowers returned to Huntsville on Wednesday for the ceremony.
Television crew
The SEC announced on Thursday its broadcast teams for televised spring games across the conference, including the trio of Chris Cotter, Clint Stoerner and Kris Budden for the Razorbacks’ RedWhite game on April 29.
Stoerner, a former Arkansas quarterback, will serve as color commentator on the SEC Network broadcast, while Cotter will handle play-by-play duties and Budden will report from the sideline.
The Red-White game is the only SEC spring finale on April 29, a week after Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and LSU wrap up their spring drills. All of the spring games will be broadcast on the SEC Network with the exception of Texas A&M (ESPNU) on April 8 and Alabama (ESPN) on April 22.