Secondary education: Jennings fosters a learning atmosphere

FAYETTEVILLE -- Clay Jennings' old team at TCU is 11-1 and ranked in the top 10 of all the national polls.

The Horned Frogs shared the Big 12 championship with Baylor and are headed to the Peach Bowl to play Ole Miss.

His new team, Arkansas, is 6-6, finished last in the SEC West while playing eight conference teams that were nationally -ranked and will face Texas in the Texas Bowl.

Despite the difference in the Horned Frogs' and Razorbacks' records, Jennings said he has no regrets about coming to Arkansas to be defensive backs coach after coaching cornerbacks for six seasons at TCU.

"I don't look back," Jennings said. "My mom and dad always taught me to be appreciative of the blessing that I have right now, and if you spend your time looking in the rear-view mirror, then you're going to miss what's going on in front of you.

"I'm happy for those TCU players and coaches that they're having a great year, but I'm so pleased to be with the guys I'm with now at Arkansas. I'm excited about this group we have here and where we can go as we move forward."

Arkansas' pass defense has improved in all areas this season with Jennings coaching the secondary.

The Razorbacks rank 57th nationally in pass defense (221.4 yards per game) after being 73rd (235.0) last season. They have allowed 19 touchdown passes and made 11 interceptions after allowing 25 touchdown passes with 8 interceptions last season. They have 58 pass breakups this season, compared to 37 last season.

"Coach Jennings came in and knew how to talk to us, knew how to relate to us," cornerback Jared Collins said. "Just how to allow us to take what we learn in the meeting room and apply it on the field."

Defensive coordinator Robb Smith said a key to Jennings' success is giving the players a consistent message on a daily basis.

"He does a great job with the guys, not only on the field but off the field," Smith said. "The fact the guys know he really cares about them goes a long way on Saturday."

Coach Bret Bielema said Jennings brought a calmness to the defensive backs' meeting room that fostered a positive environment for learning and growing and reduced the players' stress level.

Jennings smiled when told what Bielema said about his coaching style and how the defensive backs have responded.

"I don't want them to be nervous when I come in the room," Jennings said. "I enjoy coaching those guys, and I hope it's reciprocated on their behalf as far as they enjoy being coached by me.

"We're trying to be an extension of what Coach B wants in this program. We want to be tough between the ears and within the shoulder pads as well. We want to make sure that we're prepared to win in critical areas at all times.

"We want to make sure we play fast. The biggest thing is making sure we can get lined up and we can communicate."

Senior safety Alan Turner, a team captain, said Jennings does a lot more teaching than yelling at practice and makes sure the players have a total understanding of what they need to do and how to execute the game plan.

"I feel like guys take that to heart and put it on their shoulders," Turner said. "They don't want to do things wrong and let Coach Jennings down. They want to execute it right, and I feel like that's a big improvement for us."

Jennings said despite his demeanor, he puts pressure on his players in meetings and during practice.

"Just because I'm calm doesn't mean there's not any heat in the room, but when you turn up the heat, I don't think they have to be degraded to get the best of out of them," he said. "They don't have to be able to hear it from the other side of the field.

"I think I can go over and whisper something in a guy's ear and get him going in the right direction."

Jennings said it has been important to gain the players' trust, and in turn for him to trust them.

"They have to know how much you care about them before they care about how much you know," he said. "I think those guys believe we're going to put them in the proper position to win."

Last season, defensive coordinator Chris Ash (now at Ohio State) coached Arkansas' safeties and Taver Johnson (now at Purdue) coached the cornerbacks. Having Jennings coach both positions is a plus, cornerback D.J. Dean said.

"Everybody's together and on the same page," Dean said.

In looking for a new assistant to coach the defensive backs, Bielema said he wanted someone not only with a strong coaching background, but who had deep recruiting ties to Texas.

Jennings fit the job description being a Waco, Texas, native who played at North Texas and coached at TCU, Baylor, Houston, Sam Houston State and North Texas. He knew something about Arkansas, too, having been Southern Arkansas' defensive backs coach in 2000.

Bielema said while flying on a recruiting trip last year, he went over the staffs at several Texas colleges and took notes on all the defensive backs coaches. After getting off the plane with three or four candidates in mind, Bielema said he called TCU Coach Gary Patterson about Jennings.

"I reached out to Coach Patterson, and I knew he wasn't happy, so usually that's a good indicator that you might be on to something good," Bielema said. "Then I got a chance to bring Clay in, and as much as you can see the improvement on the field, he's a guy you want to be around every day."

Jennings said during the job interview that Bielema stressed not just what Arkansas could do for him, but the impact he could have on the program.

"Coach B is a good man, and everything that he's told me has come to fruition," Jennings said. "I'm excited to continue to work here and take Arkansas to the next level."

Sports on 12/24/2014