FAYETTEVILLE — The smile never seemed to leave Anthony Leon’s face as he spoke about his new position after an Arkansas practice last week.
Sure, there’s a lot to learn. There are games to play before he can truly prove himself, too. But it was evident Leon, the Razorbacks’ safety-turnedlinebacker, has found a home with the defense.
“I’m pumped up,” Leon said. “I’m just ready or the season. I’m playing with a passion, ready to give it my all. This is my senior year and I just want to do the best I can for all the guys on the team.”
Plenty of questions surround No. 17 Arkansas as it prepares for Saturday’s season opener against Tennessee Tech in Reynolds Razorback Stadium. But one of the biggest comes at the weakside linebacker spot, where Leon is lining up after moving down two weeks ago.
He is battling with Jerry Franklin, Arkansas’ leading returning tackler, for the starting job. Leon has been working with the first-team defense throughout the week and has made an impression on the Hogs, who are hoping he can make an impact this fall.
“He’s picking things up well and running downhill,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said. “He’s made some plays at that position in the running game and the passing game. He’s having a lot more fun.
“He’s feeling a lot more involved in the game and it’s been a good move for us and added more depth.”
The 6-foot-4, 227-pound Leon was a highly touted safety who was expected to make an immediate impact when he signed with the Razorbacks after playing at Florida State in 2007 and College of the Sequoias (Calif.) in 2008. But Leon didn’t arrive until just before the start of practice, was behind the rest of his teammates and struggled throughout the season.
He collected 20 tackles in 13 games, but struggled to perform. In fact, big plays seemed like common occurances with the safety on the field last season.
The Razorbacks said Leon took strides in the offseason and hoped he would contribute in the secondary in 2010. He started the preseason with the second-team unit, but was ultimately moved.
“P robably all along he’s been a kind of inthe-box safety,” Robinson said when describing the reasons for Leon’s move to linebacker. “Not that he didn’t have deep cover skills, but there were some liabilities involved when he did play that safety.”
Leon said he was approached by Robinson during lunch one day during camp and asked about a potential move.
He admits to being a “safety at heart,” but was willing to give linebacker a shot.
“It was going well for me, but not as well as I would have liked,” Leon said. “If I stayed at safety I would have kept working hard, working into the rotation and trying to compete for the starting job.”
Leon has earned that chance at linebacker the past two weeks. There’s no guarantee he’ll be the starter when Arkansas opens the season, but the Razorbacks have a role for him because of his size, strength, speed, athleticism and experience in the secondary.
He showed some of those skills during a preseason practice when he broke up a pass intended for a receiver.
A little later, Leon batted down another pass at the line of scrimmage. He had a scrimmage highlight, too, intercepting a pass two weeks ago.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino believes Leon — who is one of the Razorbacks’ most physical players — will be able to help against the run as well.
“He’s really good in there,” Petrino said. “His instincts are good. He’s very physical. He can deliver a blow. ... He can take on a guard, take on a lead blocker. He’s very fast and can help us a lot in the coverage game. It’s amazing when you move from average speed at safety to linebacker now you’re fast. ... I like what I’ve seen from Anthony Leon.”