Calloway claims corner role for Razorbacks
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas sophomore letterman defensive back and Bishop Dunne High School alum Chevin Calloway is listed from Dallas, but Pine Bluff can claim him, too.
Calloway and both of his parents were born in Pine Bluff. The family lived in Pine Bluff until he was about 2 years old before moving to Texas. His Arkansas roots played a factor in the
4-star prospect turning down the usual suspects from Power Five conferences and signing with Arkansas last year to play for former head coach Bret Bielema and Paul Rhoads, the Razorbacks’ former defensive coordinator and secondary coach.
“It was a little bit of it,” Calloway said. “I have family down here but I think the main factor was just the environment. It was a good feel when I came here.”
Calloway fared well, individually, despite the Hogs ending the season 4-8. With starting cornerback Ryan Pulley lost to a season-ending injury during the second quarter of the first game, Calloway quickly moved up the depth chart from true freshman special teamer to backup corner playing every game. He made
10 tackles, broke up two passes and a played a season-high 63 snaps in the final game against Missouri.
Pulley has returned from his injury, 2017 starter Henre Toliver graduated and Kamren Curl moved to starting strong safety after starting during the 2017 season at cornerback as a freshman. Calloway now runs first-team cornerback opposite Pulley this spring. He also plays nickel back in some packages installed by new defensive coordinator John Chavis under new head coach Chad Morris.
Calloway broke up a pass during the first spring scrimmage. He broke up two passes and made a sack on a successful blitz in the second scrimmage.
“It’s going good so far,” Calloway said the day after the March 28 scrimmage. “The scrimmage was a really good scrimmage for me. I had a lot of pass breakups. I think the communication and everything and being able to fly around and have fun and not have to think too much on the field. I think it’s going well.”
Calloway also admits he has more to do. “I take on more responsibility and have to get the calls and look to the sideline and I think now it’s a bigger responsibility,” Calloway said. “A lot faster. That’s the difference between now and last year and I’ve adjusted to it pretty well.”
Calloway said it helps Chavis scheme is less complicated than Rhoads’.
“Last fall with coach Rhoads, it was really, really detailed,” Calloway said. “We had to know so much stuff that a lot of guys couldn’t really play like they wanted to play because they were thinking too hard.
“This defense, there is still focus to detail and we still fly around and we are supposed to know our plays, but, at the same time, coach allows us to play. He allows us not to have to think too hard on everything.”
Chavis stresses pressure, which involves more blitzing, including Calloway’s sack as a nickel during last week’s scrimmage.
“This is new,” Calloway said. “I have never played nickel in my life. I like it a lot. It seems really natural to me; it feels good. I just feel like if I keep getting more and more reps there, I’ll
keep getting better.”
As a cornerback, Calloway said he benefits from others blitzing.
“Whenever we blitz these guys, it helps out a lot with the corners because it makes the quarterback get the ball out quick,” Calloway said.
The defensive practice pace picks up, not only from the blitzing and working both corner and nickel, but all the man-to-man coverages practicing against Morris’ hurry-up, no-huddle spread offense, as opposed to the huddle-up power game Bielema preferred.
“We run a lot of man, and blitzing guys,” Calloway said. “It can be hard sometimes just moving around, especially sometimes when I’ve got to go to nickel and playing all the different man coverages. It can be exhausting.”
But Calloway said he enjoys it.
“I’m excited to play with this DB group,” Calloway said. “The more and more chemistry we build, the more and more faster we’re going to play. I’m pretty excited.”