RAZORBACKS FOOTBALL REPORT: Chevin Calloway had Hogs tuned in

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema speaks to reporters during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, at Fred W. Smith Center in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said he wasn't 100 percent sure Chevin Calloway would sign with the Razorbacks until the cornerback from Dallas Bishop Dunne announced his decision live on ESPNU on Wednesday.

"We had a pretty good idea," Bielema said. "But until you know it's for real ..."

Calloway, who is originally from Pine Bluff, chose Arkansas over Texas and Ole Miss. He had numerous other offers, including Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Michigan.

"I'm coming home," Calloway said to loud cheers when he announced for Arkansas and put on a Razorbacks cap. "I plan on making a difference and balling early."

Calloway said Arkansas was the best fit for him.

"I'm definitely relieved," he said. "It was a lot of weight on my shoulders."

Bielema said he was scheduled to visit Calloway on Jan. 24, but he changed it to Saturday night so he would make his final pitch after several other schools.

"His demeanor, his personality, his professionalism, his maturity are off the charts," Bielema said in an interview with ESPNU. "Then on the field, he's vey talented. He's been the No. 1 corner on our board for a long time.

"A guy that we feel really strongly about being able to possibly come in and compete right away. It'll obviously prove out in the pudding here, but he's a kid that really stands for everything we want here at Arkansas."

He's a wideout

Brandon Martin, a 6-4, 215-pound receiver from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has been on campus since the start of the semester.

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Martin was the No. 1 receiver on Arkansas' recruiting board, Bret Bielema said, but his wife, Jen, didn't associate Martin's body type for his true position during a recruiting event.

"We always have recruits out to our house, and when Jen saw Brandon she's like, 'Is he a defensive end?' I go, 'No, that's a wideout,' " Bielema said. "Anytime someone gets involved with those two differences, it's kind of funny."

Headed to 3-4

Arkansas' move to a base 3-4 defense has been in the works for a while, with Bielema saying he made the firm decision after the first month of the 2016 season. He began working with recruiting coordinator E.K. Franks at that point to point recruiting in that direction.

"Coach Franks and I drew up our numbers in the board meeting room," he said. "We took our current roster and divided it up into a 3-4 look. That was just he and I working on that independently.

"I didn't want anyone else worrying or thinking about it. I wasn't sharing it with anybody else. Then we set our numbers up accordingly and who we needed to recruit."

Staff work

Bret Bielema has at least one opening on his staff to fill after defensive coordinator Robb Smith left for Minnesota and Paul Rhoads was promoted as his replacement. There could be other changes.

Bielema said he's "snuck some guys in" to interview in Fayetteville and also had some meetings on the road while recruiting.

Bielema said he has a coach coming in to interview today, and he indicated some of the candidates work for NFL teams, including at least one with Super Bowl participants Atlanta and New England.

"There's a guy that I was heavily interested in that was with a team that got beat a week ago, so I couldn't deal with him until after the playoff loss," Bielema said. "Still involved with one guy who is still playing."

Bielema said the staff will be complete when the coaches convene at the Smith Center on Feb. 20 to start gearing up for spring practices.

Double training

Bret Bielema said sophomore running backs T.J. Hammonds and Hayden Johnson will get some work at other positions during spring practice.

Hammonds, a tailback, will work at receiver and Johnson, a fullback, will work at tight end.

One more offer

The Razorbacks have one remaining scholarship in their pocket.

"We still have an open scholarship that we're still kind of working on, with a couple different avenues, and even some things that popped up today," Coach Bret Bielema said. "As is the case, it's always a work in progress."

Sports on 02/02/2017