SPRINGDALE -- Bret Bielema's introduction at the annual Arkansas football kickoff luncheon Friday came from Chuck Barrett, the radio voice of the Razorbacks, who said Arkansas fans have gotten to see different sides of Bielema recently, including his talents as a chef and dog whisperer.
"It's nice to be known for a couple of things, but I want to be known as a championship coach here eventually," Bielema said as he took the dais before a crowd estimated at nearly 1,000 fans at the NWA Convention Center.
The Razorbacks are projected to finish fifth in the SEC West by conference media, but Bielema said his team fared well last season against many of the most highly regarded teams in the country.
"I look around and see the preseason polls come out, and in the top 25 I see, I believe, five teams that we beat in the top 25," Bielema said without referencing any particular poll.
Arkansas downed three teams in the top 12 of the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll: No. 6 LSU, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 12 Ole Miss. All of those victories came on the road.
"To me, that's entertaining," Bielema said to laughter and applause. "It's a great symbol of what you can overcome. I've said all along in my career, and I believe it with all my heart, it's not the polls at the beginning of the season but the ones at the end that matter."
Bielema said he pointed out a news item to his team in the spring, which claimed the Razorbacks had a 2 percent chance of winning the SEC West this season.
"I think it's hilarious. I shouldn't say hilarious, it's frustrating, it's angry for me," said Bielema, pointing out that he used it as a motivational tool for the team. "We kind of had a little saying all spring, 'Two percent, two percent.' "
The Razorbacks return nine starters from a defense that ranked No. 58 in yardage allowed last season, but they also incurred heavy losses on offense.
"I've gotten used to everybody every year thinking, 'They lose all these players, how good are they going to be?' And all we do is we train year-around and we develop them and bring them out and have them graduate on time, and let them play on a stage to help them get where they need to be," Bielema said.
The luncheon was missing a couple of key participants, as Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long attended to his mother for health reasons and defensive end Deatrich Wise had a death in the family. Bielema said Wise would be in Texas today attending the funeral of his grandfather.
The annual player introductions were altered from years' past. Bielema traditionally has had about 50 key players introduce one another in alphabetical order, typically listing their hometown and an item about that player. On Friday, the Razorbacks did it in numerical order, and it did not take long for the needles to come out.
Bielema opened the segment by introducing No. 1, receiver Jared Cornelius, whom he described as the playerwho ranked No. 1 in parking tickets.
Cornerback Kevin Richardson brought up freshman fullback Hayden Johnson by saying, "This is the first time we've heard him talk."
Linebacker Brooks Ellis drew laughter by introducing offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt, a native of Denmark, as "The Human Thumb," while adopting an exaggerated Danish accent.
Froholdt played along when he took the microphone, exclaiming in an even thicker accent, "Me Hjalte!" while pounding his chest, then welcoming "my great comrade, Jeremiah Ledbetter."
Defensive lineman Bijhon Jackson, who was described as having an incredible rear by Bielema a couple of years ago, came to the microphone and declared, "Nothing about my incredible backside this year, nice change-up."
Dan Skipper took great relish in being able to describe offensive line mate Frank Ragnow, a native of Chanhassen, Minn., as a guy "who bathed himself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" and who is a grizzly man outdoors.
Tight end Jack Kraus introduced defensive tackle Taiwan Johnson as a Star Wars lover who likes to play with light sabers. Johnson left that line alone and welcomed up "white chocolate himself" Karl Roesler.
Offensive and defensive coordinators Dan Enos and Robb Smith came up together and engaged in a brief question-and-answer session with Barrett.
Enos said it's not fun to face the Arkansas defense in camp, "which is good for our football team."
When asked about the Hogs receiving depth, Smith said "without question we have a great wide receiving corps."
Sports on 08/20/2016