Arkansas begins fall practice today and Coach Bret Bielema and his staff will be looking to see which newcomers can help this season.
Should highly touted freshman running back Devwah Whaley make a big impact on the field, it won’t be a big surprise to his high school Coach Toby Foreman.
Whaley, 6-0, 218 pounds, 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Beaumont (Texas) Central rushed for 1,701 yards and 23 touchdowns on 228 carries as a senior. Foreman said Whaley will bring a strong work ethic to practice.
“I can’t remember him taking a day off,” Foreman said.
Foreman coached Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas while an assistant coach at West Orange-Stark High School in Texas. Thomas played at Texas and was the 14th overall player taken in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Houston offered Whaley a scholarship after a summer camp before his sophomore season. Even though Whaley hadn’t played a down of varsity of football, Foreman saw something special and took some heat when he compared Whaley to Thomas, who’s a four-time Pro Bowler.
“I compared their athleticism and I said he has more potential at this age then Earl did and some people criticized, but I promise you they’re not criticizing now,” Foreman said. “It was evident to me the first time I saw him.”