Rhoads an easy choice for Bielema, popular pick for players

Arkansas secondary coach Paul Rhoads, left, talks with head coach Bret Bielema prior to a game against Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, in Fayetteville.

— Bret Bielema knows which of his announcements will get a big reaction from his players.

“You might say, ‘Hey, we’re going to a Brazilian steakhouse.’ You’ll get a reaction. You may say, ‘We’re knocking practice from 24 periods down to 18.’ You’ll get a reaction.”

Add naming Paul Rhoads as the Razorbacks’ new defensive coordinator to that list.

“I knew they’d be excited,” Bielema said. “I thought the DBs in general (especially). But the offensive and defensive reaction and then when he spoke a few words, the way that the offensive players in that room reacted to his voice was compelling of what he’s able to do.”

Was Rhoads surprised by the reaction?

“I don’t want to come across the wrong way, but I’d say no, it didn’t surprise me,” Rhoads said. “But I would add to that, I was excited to get that kind of response. … Being as favorable as it was did my heart good that first day.”

Rhoads stressed fundamentals and emphasized having fun. He worked in the coaches box on game days, but his time at Iowa State provided a glimpse into his high-energy demeanor.



The reaction from the players after the meeting backed up the coaches’ recollection of how it went down.


There was never any doubt who Bielema wanted to replace Robb Smith, who took the same position at Minnesota after a rocky third year in Fayetteville.

“He was a tremendous asset to Robb and what we were trying to get done,” Bielema said. “To stay calm in that position is very, very uncommon. It’s easy to get volatile and resist and fight, but he weathered the storm and tried to make it as best as possible.

“I approached him pretty much at the end of the regular season about how he would feel in a role moving forward and I really just feel that he had a demeanor that our room needs right now. There’s a calmness to him.”

Rhoads, who served as Iowa State’s head coach for seven years (2009-2015), has had success in the SEC as a defensive coordinator before. In 2008, he held the position at Auburn and the Tigers ranked No. 14 nationally in scoring defense and No. 29 in total defense.

He is on board with Bielema’s decision to implement a 3-4 scheme, a choice that led to Bielema bringing in Bob Diaco to go over the system with he and Rhoads. Rhoads made the switch to the 3-4 in his final year at Iowa State.

“Don’t let that scare you,” Rhoads said. “… As coach (Bielema says), we talk three-man front, we talk 3-4, we talked odd. There’s a lot things that can be done in that, that I have done. There’s a lot of things that can be done in that that the expertise of the room, as it gets finalized, will be able to handle.

“But even as we tweak and get to a final scheme and final things that we do out of that, you guys are going to get sick of hearing me talk about the fundamentals and the process of getting that accomplished. And that won’t ever go away.”

Rhoads will be tasked with turning around an Arkansas defense that struggled mightily in 2016 despite returning nine starters.

The Razorbacks were especially porous against the run, allowing a school-record 39 rushing touchdowns. Arkansas ranked No. 94 in the nation in run defense (205.5 yards per game) and No. 126 out of 128 teams in opponent yards per carry (5.91).

“I’d rather look forward than look back,” Rhoads said. “There were a lot of factors that affected the output and performance of this defensive unit, but I’m sure looking forward to 2017.”

He stopped short of promising any specific improvement, but made it clear improvement would happen.

“I think we can play good defense. I think we can play better defense. I don’t know if I’m willing to put numbers on what exactly that is,” Rhoads said. “Are you just talking about a statistical rise? I don’t know what other factors are going to play into it. Offense, defense, special teams, quality of opponent and all that.

“Simply stated, we can play better defense and I believe we will play better defense.”

With the hire, announced Monday, Arkansas is the only school in the SEC with two former head coaches serving as its coordinators. Rhoads will call plays for the Razorback defense opposite Dan Enos, who was Central Michigan’s head coach for five years before taking the Arkansas offensive coordinator job two years ago.

“(It brings) perspective more than anything,” Bielema said of having two former head coaches in coordinator roles. “… Mark Stoops, head coach at Kentucky, he and I grew up in this profession. We used to share hotels at Motel 6 to try to save money as young recruiters. Our conversations then compared to now, the way you perceive football back then as a young positional coach who’s in charge of your group that was trying to establish your name as a recruiter and defensive coach. Now we’re sitting there as two active SEC coaches going through trials and tribulations. You just have a perspective on things that you can’t imagine what it is.”

Rhoads finished his Iowa State tenure with a 32-55 record, but was just 8-28 in his last three seasons. Earning a second shot at leading a program is still a big goal for the 49-year-old.

“Do I want to coach again? Absolutely I do,” Rhoads said. “I don’t like the way that I finished up the opportunity I was given.”

But he knows what will be necessary for that to happen.

“You’ve got to do incredibly good at the job that your at if you’re going to get an opportunity at the next job,” Rhoads said. “And that will be our focus here with this.”