Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Still patrolling the field
McClure says baseball instincts assist with switch to defensive back.
FAYETTEVILLE — Playing nickel back for the University of Arkansas football team reminds D’Vone McClure of being on the baseball diamond.
McClure, who is from Rixey and played baseball and football at Jacksonville High School, was a center fielder in the Cleveland Indians’ minor-league system from 20122015.
“It’s a lot like playing center field,” McClure said. “The ball’s in front of you. You get to see it coming, and you’ve got to get the right jump and take the right angle to the ball.
“It’s just like reacting quickly when the baseball comes off the bat. That’s how I try to look at it, and I think it helps me.”
With Kevin Richardson — who also played at Jacksonville and is McClure’s close friend — expected to miss the first two games as he recovers from a foot injury, McClure has gotten a lot of work in practice as Arkansas’ starting nickel back.
“He’s had a really, really good camp,” defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “I like what we’ve seen so far. I really do.”
McClure, 24, enrolled at Arkansas and joined the football team as a wide receiver in the fall of 2016 after being released by Cleveland.
After playing in five games during the 2016 season, primarily on special teams, McClure decided to give up football in the spring of 2017.
McClure got a $765,000 bonus when he signed with Cleveland as a fourth-round draft pick, and his contract included a clause that the Indians would pay for some of his college expenses. He continued to take classes last year and worked with kids as a baseball instructor, but he decided to make a football comeback after Chad Morris was hired.
“That was my first year not playing any sport,” McClure said. “Competing is what I do. I just felt empty without sports, so I decided to give football another try.
“I’m not done. I’ve got a lot left in the tank. I’m in my prime. This is a great story, and I need to finish it the right way.” McClure, a third-year sophomore, met with Morris in early January and was welcomed back — this time on defense.
Moving to defense hadn’t been discussed with Morris, McClure said, but he was happy about the move when strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll told him to go with the defensive backs during winter workouts.
McClure said he saw more opportunity to play on defense, plus it fit his mindset.
“I’ve always liked contact,” he said. “I’ve never run from it.”
McClure played safety and receiver in high school, but his final football season on defense had been 2011.
Considering he’s playing as a defensive back for the first time in seven years, his teammates said he’s progressed well since the start of spring practice.
“I told D’Vone when he was at receiver he should have come over to defense in the first place,” senior safety Santos Ramirez said. “He’s
made some great strides as a nickel back.
“He’s a naturally aggressive guy, and he’s really embraced the position and is giving his all to be the best he can there for us. We’re going to really utilize D’Vone this year.”
Junior cornerback Ryan Pulley said he’s impressed by McClure’s physical style combined with an ability to cover.
“He’ll stick his nose in there,” Pulley said. “He’s an excellent tackler. And wherever that ball’s at, he’s finding it. I think because of the baseball genes in him, he has really good ball skills.”
Senior linebacker Dre Greenlaw said McClure’s maturity has helped him make a smooth transition on defense.
“He’s older and he’s got a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge,” Greenlaw said. “He understands the game of football, and he’s picking it up more and more every day.”
McClure, 6-2, said his weight has dropped from 224 pounds to 211 since the spring.
“Losing that weight, I feel a lot better now,” he said. “I can move faster and quicker.”
Ron Cooper, who coaches Arkansas’ safeties and nickel backs, said before camp started that McClure reminded him of Denver Broncos defensive back Darian Stewart, who played for Cooper at South Carolina and is going into his ninth NFL season.
“Darian was that hybrid outside linebacker-safety and had the same type body as D’Vone,” Cooper said. “Big enough to play over a tight end, but fast enough to cover a slot receiver and blitz.”
Chavis said McClure’s maturity has been a plus.
“He’s not a young kid. He’s a grown man, and he acts like one,” Chavis said. “The guy is a sponge the way he picks up everything and wants to learn as much as he can about how to play his position.
“He’s asking questions — constantly — which is good. Understand, he’s learning a new system, but he’s got a chance to be a playmaker for us. He’s getting more and more confident in what we’re asking him to do.”
McClure said he’s far ahead of where he was in the spring.
“Back then, I was just out there playing on instincts,” he said. “Now I know the defense. With my size and versatility, I think I can help us a lot.
“All I can do is go out there and make the most of the the opportunities I get. Which I plan on doing.”