FAYETTEVILLE — Bret Bielema gives Sosa Agim a hard time on a regular basis.
The good-natured back-and-forths with his star freshman defensive tackle are always fun for Arkansas’ head coach.
“I like having a rapport with him,” Bielema said. “… He’s got a mind. You’re dealing with something.”
Bielema isn’t the only one who jokes around with Agim, the former five star who is the most highly touted recruit in program history.
“Because he’s highly recruited, guys love to pick on him,” Bielema said. “He’s had to battle through some initiation. We don’t do anything crazy, but guys definitely have some fun with him along the way.”
Saturday, Agim picked on the Florida offense in his first career start. His stat line was modest: three tackles, one hurry and a half a tackle-for-loss. But his impact on the interior line was evident. He was routinely a disruptive presence, helping the Razorbacks hold Florida to 14 rushing yards a game after they allowed 543 to Auburn.
Starting Agim in the ‘three technique’ was one of a number of tweaks that paid off for the Arkansas defense against the Gators, a move made possible by the decision to shift senior Jeremiah Ledbetter back out to defensive end, where he started as a junior.
“I understand why we put him at three and I was living with it pretty good, but I just felt he could be on the end these last four games and do some things,” Bielema said. “And he went crazy.”
Those weren’t the only changes Bielema, defensive coordinator Robb Smith and the rest of the defensive staff made.
Senior defensive end Deatrich Wise, a preseason All-SEC selection who has been banged up for a few weeks, didn’t start, instead playing the role of third-down pass rusher at defensive tackle. He responded with two tackles, two hurries and half a sack.
“I just said, ‘Hey, until he’s full go, lets take him back,” Bielema said. “We put him in a third-down role where (defensive line coach) Rory (Segrest) and I had conversation Wednesday and said hey, let’s buy him into this, settle him into this. And at the end of the game and on third down, he was huge, getting back to the old 48 that we saw.”
Sophomore Randy Ramsey took on a bigger role after working as an undersized situational speed rusher at defensive end the first eight games of the year. The 6-foot-4, 228-pounder still played end some Saturday, but was mostly utilized in a variety of ways as a SAM linebacker. He produced two hurries and a sack.
“I felt him coming along,” Bielema said. “Two weeks before the bye week, I said ‘Just give me what you can at D-End. I’m going to take a look at things during the bye week. He made some strides during the bye week and I wanted to look him at SAM and go.”
“He’s been the guy we’ve used at times to plug certain holes,” defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. “We got enough 12 personnel and some two tight end, two running back stuff to commit to a base package and I thought he really, really embraced that.”
Those changes worked hand-in-hand with Agim’s emergence inside, which unlocked the option of moving Ledbetter back to end.
The duo combined for an impressive tackle-for-loss at one point, but Agim’s biggest play of the game was a solo stop for no gain on Florida running back Mark Thompson early in the third quarter. Agim showed off his fast-twitch reaction, ripping through a block to make the impressive tackle before Thompson could go anywhere.
“That (play) had been his nemesis, because at times he would try to find one guy and he’d get blown off the ball,” Bielema said. “He really has a chance to be a special player.”
Agim arrived on campus with an abundance of physical ability, lending Bielema to compare him to former Razorback All-SEC defensive tackle Darius Philon. But the 6-foot-3, 289-pound Texarkana native has earned his expanded role thanks to his growth as a player and student of the game.
“He needed to learn to be coached,” Bielema said. “He needed to open his ears and hush his lips.”
“Sosa’s learning how to prepare like a college football player,” Smith said. “That’s how he builds a rapport with the older guys in the room. The Taiwan Johnsons, Jeremiah Ledbetters of the world, they know how to prepare and get themselves ready. Sosa’s taken note of that and those guys have embraced him.”
That doesn’t mean the upperclassmen or Bielema are done giving Agim a hard time. They’re just happy he’s doing the same to opposing offensive linemen.