FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' linebacking unit could not have moved its best man from the middle to weakside unless someone else manned up in the middle.
That makes Khalia Hackett the man. Last year's anonymous Razorbacks freshman letterman special-teamer this spring became the middle man freeing Brooks Ellis' move from "mike" middle linebacker to weakside "will" linebacker.
Ellis emerged as a true freshman middle linebacker midseason 2013 when nobody else did. He started the 11 games in 2014 he was healthy while senior All-SEC first-teamer Martrell Spaight led the SEC in tackles from will.
Spaight caused Coach Bret Bielema continuing to start Ellis as the right man in the wrong spot.
"We played Brooksie at mike really the last two years out of necessity because we really didn't have anybody at that spot," Bielema said. "But I've always thought really he's kind of more an edge player, a will or a sam (strongside outside linebacker.)"
Exhausted eligibility subtracted Spaight. Bielema, defensive coordinator Robb Smith and new linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves moved Ellis.
Hackett made the move permanent. A sam linebacker at the spring practice outset while second-year junior college transfer Josh Williams manned the middle, Hackett and Williams traded places early in spring drills.
Turns out Williams is better suited for sam, more like the defensive end that Williams played in high school, and Hackett can hack it in the middle. So Ellis can stay outside like Ellis and the staff all crave.
"I do like will a little better," Ellis said after Saturday's Red-White spring game of the outside opportunities to make plays in space.
"And he (Hackett) is doing a great job over there. Being next to him and him improving gets a little pressure off me as well."
Hackett, 6-2, 232 from Douglasville, Ga., stood up well every spring scrimmage, to the all-sides pressure of manning the middle including a first-team leading 11 tackles on April 11.
The first-team Red defense was actually too effective (five consecutive three and outs) for any Red defender to amass frequent tackles Saturday. Hackett logged one tackle and two pass breakups though ruing one PBU should have been considerably better.
"There was a pick-six (potential interception touchdown return) that I dropped that I should have had," Hackett said. "Everybody is going to gig me about it. The guys said, 'You owe us 10 pushups,' but Coach was just glad I was in the right spot. I just have got to capitalize on those moments because they would be big points for us in the future."
Bielema of course would have preferred Hackett hanging on to that pass but indeed did appreciate Hackett aggressively filling the right spot from his new spot not only Saturday but all spring.
"The mike linebacker, people all around you, it takes getting used to," Bielema said. "He's a smart player, very aggressive. I do like what I saw from him today."
Ditto for Brooks Ellis. For it's Ellis' will that Hackett inherits the mike.
Sports on 04/27/2015