FAYETTEVILLE — One season into his tenure in the SEC, Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema came to understand he had entered a league where games were determined by the action in the trenches.
Beyond that observation, he said building a deep, talented and flexible defensive front was probably the most important task he’d face in turning Arkansas into a contender in the SEC West, the nation’s toughest division.
Entering his fourth year in the SEC, Bielema said he believes the Razorbacks look loaded across their front four.
“We’ve got more depth on our defensive line than we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” Bielema said at SEC media days.
“When somebody asks me the biggest difference between Big Ten and SEC play, I think it’s D-line depth. I should say more importantly the quality of your D-line depth. It’s important to have 10 guys that can play.”
The Razorbacks have that — and maybe more — in 2016.
“The depth that we have right now is crazy,” junior nose guard Bijhon Jackson said. “We have like a legit four-deep at defensive line.”
“It’s a great position to be in,” defensive line coach Rory Segrest said. “Not just the depth, but the quality of guys we have there who know what to do and how to do it.”
Arkansas ranked No. 58 in total defense last year, but that middle-of-the-pack position was mostly due to its poor performance against the pass. The Razorbacks were the nation’s No. 12 run-stopping team in 2015, allowing 116.5 yards per game to rank behind only Alabama in the SEC. But the Hogs were No. 116 against the pass, allowing 275 yards per game.
The Razorbacks say they believe they have the
Legitimate depth and experience give the Razorbacks reason to believe they can maintain quality run defense while making drastic improvements with their pass rush.
“It’s the same coaches, the same teammates, the same team, but it will be much stronger than last year,” said senior end Deatrich Wise Jr., who led the SEC with eight sacks in league games last year. “We also believe the defensive line is the heart of the team, so when the offense is trying to find itself and get a rhythm, I believe our defense will step in.”
Arkansas has three seniors on its top unit with third-year starter Taiwan Johnson, Jeremiah Ledbetter and Wise, who leaped into preseason all-SEC consideration with seven sacks in the last four games of 2015.
Another senior, 2015 team captain JaMichael Winston, is the top sub at Wise’s heavy-5 end position. Juniors Karl Roesler and Tevin Beanum have been complemented by blue chip freshman McTelvin Agim at the rush end position.
“Everybody talks about Deatrich Wise, and he’s amazing up front,” Arkansas center Frank Ragnow said. “But I don’t think enough people talk about Jeremiah Ledbetter and Taiwan Johnson. Those are talented guys. It’s crazy how much you can improve yourself going against guys like that, guys who will play on Sunday.”
Jackson and senior Brandon Lewis, who looks to be fully recovered from a long-standing knee injury, lead a pack of standout subs, which includes players with experience like former linebacker Randy Ramsey and tackle Armon Watts.
In addition to the large veteran presence, redshirt freshman T.J. Smith is a favorite of the coaches, and Daytrieon Dean has shown promise. To top if off, the incoming freshman class of Agim, Austin Capps, Briston Guidry and Jonathan Marshall looks like a dominating front four of the near future.
“I’ve never seen this much depth on a defensive line,” Roesler said. “We have 18 or 19 people in the defensive line room. A bunch of those freshmen, they’re a lot stronger than freshmen should be.
“So yeah, we have a lot of depth. Anybody could step in at any time.”
Johnson said he thinks three people could rotate at each of the spots on the line.
“I think that’s just a testament to recruiting, a testament to the strength staff and just a testament to how hard every guy on the D-line has worked since they’ve been here,” Johnson said. “I think this is a year where we can be fully deep and we can stay fresh in our games and really make an impact.”
But Johnson pointed out midway through camp that just because the Razorbacks have solid numbers and hype, it doesn’t mean much unless they produce during the season.
“Coach Segrest stresses no matter how good we think we are or people tell us we are, there are always things we can work on,” Johnson said. “If we buy into that we can truly live up to our true potential.”
Segrest, Bielema and defensive coordinator Robb Smith have trained most of the position group to play
Coaches have emphasized how being able to play multiple positions adds to the line’s flexibility, the variety of blitz packages available and the ability to better cope with injuries.
“There’s many guys on this defensive line who can play multiple positions,” said Ledbetter, who heads the list of versatile linemen.
Ledbetter started at defensive end last year but he is training at the inside “3 technique” spot. Johnson had a breakout sophomore season at nose guard, played the 3 technique last year and is now back at the nose.
“I think Jeremiah Ledbetter back inside for us can provide some explosiveness and things that [Darius] Philon did for us on the interior,” defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. “We saw what Taiwan Johnson did for us two years ago at that nose position, so I think we’ve moved some guys around.
“We’ve got a lot of quality. Just having McTelvin Agim in spring football makes a big difference in depth.”
Roesler slotted in well with the first defense in camp while Beanum tended to personal issues.
“One of the things about Karl, looking back to last year and all the reps that he took, I mean, he’s always in the right spot,” Segrest said. “He’s always doing what you ask him to do and he’s physically talented. So I feel 100 percent comfortable with him.”
With Arkansas undergoing a massive transition on offense,
The defensive line, which got off to a slow start last year, is expected to be a tone setter early this fall while the transitioning offense finds its stride.
“It’s got to make a difference for us,” Smith said. “There’s been a lot of positives there with the depth. I think the group understands the potential they have, but until you go out and work hard and take advantage of those opportunities, it’s only potential.”
Wise, who led the SEC with eight sacks in conference games last year despite not making a start, said the Razorbacks have the strongest defense he’s played on since he signed and redshirted in 2012.
“In the past it was just one or two guys that were big and that were good,” Wise said. “But we have several guys now. We have Jeremiah Ledbetter, who has first three rounds [of the NFL Draft] talent. We have Taiwan Johnson, who I’m telling you is top four talent. Bijhon Jackson, although he’s not coming out this year, when he puts his mind to it, he can definitely do good.
“Not only Karl Roesler, but Tevin Beanum, those two speed demons off the edge, it’s a force to reckon with. Then with JaMichael Winston, his run-stopping ability is like none I’ve ever seen.”
Other SEC coaches at media days discussed the importance of being able to play 10 or more players on the defensive line.
First-year Georgia Coach Kirby Smart said he went for years thinking experience at quarterback was the most important factor in winning titles.
“You look at the last 10 years, the SEC champions, and it’s not necessarily senior quarterbacks,” said Smart, the longtime defensive coordinator at Alabama. “There’s a lot of athletic quarterbacks in those 10 years, but the biggest thing is defensive line and dominating the line of scrimmage, stopping people from running the ball.
“In my history I’ve found it’s important to sign enough big bodies to dominate the line of scrimmage, and those are the hardest positions to come by now. … Those big guys don’t grow on trees. There’s not enough of them out there to supply the entire SEC.”
The Razorbacks hope that by subbing early and often they can stay fresh while not losing much on quality, and have their top players in peak condition at winning time in games.
“I believe we can compete with the best of the best D-lines in the SEC and in the nation,” Wise said.
“Coach Segrest has his hands full trying to figure out who’s going to play right now,” Jackson said. “I kind of feel bad for him.”