FAYETTEVILLE -- Last year, an Arkansas freshman last year taught veteran linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves a lesson about silence in those first days of August.
Hargreaves said he will break that vow of silence after today.
In his second season coaching linebackers but his 31st coaching defense, Hargreaves doesn't want to discuss Arkansas' four scholarship freshman linebackers who prompted so much discussion when they were recruited.
He hopes Giovanni LaFrance, the freshman linebacker from New Orleans, heals quickly from the broken hand preventing him from being on the field today's first scrimmage.
He says little to nothing about Alexy Jean-Baptiste, De'Jon Harris and Dee Walker. They are the scholarship freshmen linebackers who have been practicing since Aug. 4 and scrimmaging today behind first-teamers Brooks Ellis, Dre Greenlaw and Josh Williams and junior reserves Dwayne Eugene and Khalia Hackett.
"As it stands right now I am going to reserve judgment until Saturday," Hargreaves said Thursday. "Obviously I like the starting bunch and some of the backup guys. The younger guys we are waiting to see something happen with them when it's full go and they go live and really play football. I think that will be the time we tell a little bit more."
Greenlaw taught Hargreaves last year that you can't tell a book by its cover. Signed from Fayetteville and expected to redshirt and transition from high school safety to college linebacker, Greenlaw instead played every game. He started the last 11, made 95 tackles, second on the team to Ellis' 102, and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and two freshman All-America teams.
Greenlaw startled Hargreaves and defensive coordinator Robb Smith in last year's first preseason scrimmage posting eight tackles with two for losses.
"Last year with Dre, until he had the opportunity to actually start playing we didn't know what we had," Hargreaves said.
Look at what Greenlaw has now, Hargreaves said.
"Dre is better than he was a year ago just from knowing what to do," Hargreaves said. "He actually knows what's going on now as opposed to just going out there getting lined up and running around."
Viewing these scholarship freshmen and walk-on freshman Grant Morgan learning the ropes, then looking back on last year, did it frighten Hargreaves playing rookie Greenlaw so much so early?
"Yeah!" Hargreaves said. "When you think about it, absolutely! But the thing we saw here on the practice field is what told us that if he can do it in practice with the guys we had last year like B.A. [quarterback Brandon Allen] and the running back, Alex Collins, [both in the NFL] and those guys, he can probably do it against the rest of the league which he ended up doing.
"So that's why I say we will wait and see what happens when we get these other guys to get the chance to go play football and make the determination from there."
Sports on 08/13/2016