Richardson hopes for return under new coaching staff
FAYETTEVILLE — It was believed Arkansas senior captain defensive back Kevin Richardson, of Jacksonville, played his last college game for the Razorbacks when they closed the 2017 season with a 48-45 loss to Missouri the day after Thanksgiving in Fayettevile.
Yet, on Thursday, during the first spring practice under new head coach Chad Morris and new defensive coordinator John Chavis, Richardson practiced with the team at a variety of positions. It seemed much like his past five years matriculating at every position in the secondary under former coach Bret Bielema and defensive coordinators Robb Smith and Paul Rhoads.
In addition to redshirting as a freshman walk-on in 2013 in Bielema’s first Arkansas season, Richardson missed the entire 2016 season after tearing pectoral muscles during the season opener. On the basis that he’s missed two seasons in five years, Arkansas is petitioning the NCAA and Southeastern Conference for him to be eligible to play a six season,
but he has not yet been certified for the 2018 season. Morris said Richardson has been cleared to practice and must take part in an upcoming meeting.
Morris said Richardson was practicing as an outside linebacker, as well as safety and nickel back, as the Razorbacks switch back to a 4-3 under Chavis after implementing a 3-4.
Morris was asked about the drone he has hovering about at practices on display for media during the early periods of Thursday’s practice before it was closed to media. He explained he used drones as part of practice filming while he was offensive coordinator at Clemson and then head coach at SMU.
“It’s always been a great teaching tool for us,” Morris said. “So, we’ll do a whole lot of video study with our drone film. There’s different level that we will fly it out. Some will fly at about eight, nine feet high to where it kind of gives exactly what the quarterback is looking at. Other times we fly it extremely high because, especially in special teams, we want to get a great top down look and it moves with the ball. It’s a great video teaching tool.”
The sped-up practice pace with with the hurry-up no huddle offense is a novelty that Morris had to adjust a bit for a while Thursday.
“We slowed down a little bit there to kind of get them lined up and going from drill to drill” Morris said. “We had to stop a few things and kind of say, ‘No, this is the way we do it.’
“But, for the most part, we went through all our periods. Some of the periods were a little bit longer than t than what I wanted to, but I knew practice one would.”
Morris said new members of his staff acknowledged the pace was new to them, too.
“I definitely think our coaches, especially those who haven’t been with me in the past, they were just as awestruck by the pace of practice as the players were,” Morris said. “And that’s OK.
“As a matter of fact I had a couple of them say, ‘Man, I got plenty of exercise in practice running around here. So, great energy. I was really proud of our players the way they responded to the first day.”
Thursday’s first of 15 spring practices was NCAA mandated to be non-contact in shorts. The Razorbacks were off on Friday and will be in full pads today.
“There will be what we call a 50/50 day,” Morris said. “Half the practice we could go live, the other half would be a non-live practice, a ‘thud’ practice. That’s when we say keep them off the ground. And periods will vary. It won’t be like the first half is live.
“We may have period one live and then we may not go live again until period 12. I’m anticipating probably about 20 minutes, about five maybe four or five periods of live work Saturday just to see them in some live situations.”
Because of injuries, defensive tackle Austin Capps and defensive end Briston Guidry are not practicing at the spring drills’ outset.