Crowded room
Experience not a secondary concern
Second in a series previewing position groups for the University of Arkansas football team.
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas nickelback Greg Brooks is thinking about football into the early morning hours.
“Sometimes he texts me at 3 a.m., 2 a.m., like ‘Coach, you up?’ ” said Sam Carter, who coaches Arkansas’ cornerbacks and nickelbacks. “And
I’m like, ‘Man, I’m trying to go to sleep.’ He’s just asking me questions about different formations.”
Brooks’ father, Gregory Brooks, played cornerback at Michigan, Southern Mississippi and in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-06 after being a sixthround draft pick.
“He’s from a football family,” Carter said. “He just studies football all day. He loves it.”
Brooks, a junior from Harvey, La., with 20 career starts, is part of an experienced group of cornerbacks and nickelbacks for Arkansas.
Last season, Brooks had 39 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 pass breakups. His 69-yard interception for a touchdown at Mississippi State got the Razorbacks rolling to a 21-14 victory that broke their 20-game SEC losing streak.
“Greg Brooks, by far, is probably one of our leaders in the room,” Carter said. “He’s unbelievable.”
Treylon Burks, Arkansas’ All-SEC receiver, has been “going at it back and forth” with Brooks in practice, according to Carter.
“As long as he has the confidence, Greg is probably one of the best DBs in the country,” Carter said.
Cornerback Montaric “Busta” Brown, a senior from Ashdown who has played in 29 games with 21 starts, is the most experienced Razorback in the secondary.
“You can tell he was in the weight room,” Carter said. “Coach [Jamil] Walker got him bigger, faster. He just has to trust what we’re doing, trust his technique.”
Carter said Brown was missed last season when he sat out two games due to a concussion he suffered at Mississippi State.
“He’s our guy,” Carter said. “He’s our No. 1 corner.”
Brown started the final six games and finished with 31 tackles, 6 pass breakups and 1 interception.
“Just being here for a while, I feel like I know the ins and outs,” Brown said. “I feel like a veteran to lead the guys.”
Redshirt sophomore Hudson Clark said Brown leads the younger group.
“He pushes us every day,” Clark said. “He gets us right. Whether it’s in a meeting or walk-throughs, he’s leading it.
“I think he’s a really physical corner, and he can really lock any receiver up. Ever since I got here, I’ve been looking up to him.”
Clark got two starts when Brown was out, then took a starting job from Jerry Jacobs.
After Clark had three interceptions against Ole Miss in his second start to tie a school record and help the Razorbacks beat the Rebels 33-21, Coach Sam Pittman announced the walk-on would receive a scholarship.
Clark had 49 tackles in eight games, but he didn’t have any other interceptions and didn’t start the finale against Alabama.
“Beginning of the season, he lost some confidence,” Carter said. “Middle of the season, Ole Miss game, his confidence shot up. Then guys started throwing at him.
“So this offseason, I think he was just working on confidence. You’re going to get beat. If you guys play DB, I promise you’ll get beat, too.”
Clark said he wants to play more physical.
“Whether I’m tackling or covering, just using my hands more,” he said. “I think that was a major point of emphasis.”
LaDarrius Bishop, a redshirt junior from Ashdown who had 17 tackles in 10 games, started against Alabama in Clark’s place. The two are competing to win the No. 1 job for the season opener against Rice.
“I think ‘DayDay’ Bishop has a big-time opportunity to start for us, but he has to earn that,” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said, using Bishop’s nickname. “I think him and Clark are going to have a battle there.”
Clark said he’s grateful to defensive coordinator Barry Odom and Carter for the competition with Bishop.
“That’s my brother,” Clark said. “We’re the same position, so I’m obviously competing against him and trying to beat him out. But we’re pushing each other. I feel like we’re both getting better because of that.”
Bishop brings speed to the competition.
“DayDay is probably one of the fastest guys in the secondary, probably on the team,” Carter said. “Remember, you’re fast, so trust your technique and everything else will work out.”
Others in the mix at the cornerback and nickelback spots include sophomores Devin Bush, Khari Johnson and Nick Turner; junior Trent Gordon, a transfer from Penn State; redshirt freshman Jacorrei Turner; and true freshmen Chase Lowery, Keuan Parker and Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan.
“I think our DB room is very, very competitive, and competition brings the best out of everybody,” receiver Trey Knox said. “We’ll go at it one day, the offense will win. Then they’ll come back the next day and spank our butt. That’s what you want, because teams that win championships are very, very competitive. It’s not one side dominating the whole time.
“I think that they’re fundamentally sound in their technique. That’s the thing that separates this DB group from a lot of DB groups, is they’re taught very well by Coach Odom and Coach Carter. And they work that stuff every single day.”
Pittman said Johnson, who started against Auburn last season and had eight tackles in eight games, is providing competition for Brown. Johnson came to Arkansas from Suffield (Conn.) Academy.
“His attention span, I joke with him all the time, once he flips that, Khari can be one of our best corners here,” Carter said. “A lot of people slept on him because he’s from Connecticut. No one talks about someone from Connecticut.
“But his confidence in being around Busta, DayDay, Hudson, I think those guys keep telling Khari, ‘You can do it, you can do it, you can do it.’ He’s building confidence each day.”