TULSA, Okla. — Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said the Razorbacks may announce a replacement for the Michigan series within the next news cycle.
“Sooner rather than later,” Bielema said prior to a meeting of the Tulsa Razorback Club at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
The replacement will likely not be a Power 5 team. Arkansas was granted leniency from the SEC office in finding a replacement for the Michigan series. The Wolverines paid $2 million to back out last summer, leaving the Razorbacks a relatively short amount of time to find an opponent for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
“Some of what we've had to do required a 10-person agreement,” Bielema said. “It required a lot of things after Michigan pulled out. It was a big headache.”
Bielema said winter offseason workouts are progressing nicely as coaches work through the new terminology for a switch to a 3-4 defense with two new coaches, John Scott (line) and Chad Walker (outside linebackers).
“I met this morning with defensive staff,” Bielema said. “We are having fun. It's a grass roots situation, with two new coaches and Paul (Rhoads, defensive coordinator). He's gone over this process as a head coach with the switch to a 3-4. I do know our players are excited.”
Bielema said nose tackle Bijhon Jackson is bothered by a pulled hamstring, but the squad is relatively healthy as the spring practice start of March 28 grows near. The Red-White game is set for Saturday, April 29.
One of the top priorities is to find out how Karl Roesler, Randy Ramsey and Michael Taylor adjust to the stand-up defensive end or outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense.
“Those are the cross-over guys,” Bielema said. “Certain things we haven't been able to do (with a football) so you don't know how that will go.”
Bielema said there's been one position switch in recent weeks, sophomore Jake Hall moving from left tackle back to defensive end.
“He'd have his hand on the ground,” Bielema said. “He thought playing on defense was a better place for him. I do know this, you know you are going to get everything out of him no matter where he plays.”
Hall was actually the backup left tackle behind the graduated Dan Skipper on last year's final depth chart. Who will be there now?
“That's actually a good question, right now we've got Colton Jackson and Shane Clenin,” Bielema said. “Colton is a guy who has actually stood out. Clenin is a (true freshman) we think can play all five positions in the line, kind of like Frank (Ragnow).”
Bielema said Jackson and Ragnow were paired in lifting drills earlier this week in a competition with the team cheering.
“Frank beat him by one or two reps in three stations and Colton actually scared him,” Bielema said. “Colton has really looked good in everything.”
Bielema noted that Ragnow, one of the nation's best centers, would not participate in some scrimmages, per the typical policy for highly-regarded NFL prospects.
“Frank won't be in a lot of scrimmage work, so we will need a lot of centers,” Bielema said. “So we've got four, more than normal. After Frank, we've got Zach Rogers, Jake Raulerson and Dylan Hayes. That's quite a bit.”
Bielema praised junior-college transfers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance for their work with the wideouts. He also said true freshman Maleek Barkley has dropped weight from 237 to 222 pounds in an impressive start to workouts.
Quarterback Daulton Hyatt has shown to be “more athletic” than the rest of the quarterbacks. Among the returnees, Bielema praised Hjalte Froholdt and Ragnow among the offensive linemen.
During his speech to the club, Bielema went through his recruiting class, including three from the Tulsa area. He said linebacker Kyrei Fisher from Tulsa Union might play either inside or outside linebacker.
“Kyrei looked like an outside linebacker or rush end as a junior,” Bielema said. “But he trimmed up his body and might play inside.”
Bielema raved about wide receiver Koilan Jackson. He called him the “most underrated player in our class. We were blown away by his athletic ability and his demeanor and think he will have an immediate impact.”
Bielema mentioned that mentor coach Hayden Fry always said you should build your program “from the inside out. By that, he meant that the better your players are close to the football, the better you are going to be.”
The Hogs should be good up the middle on offense with quarterback Austin Allen, running backs Rawleigh Williams and Devwah Whaley and Ragnow at center. Defensively, Bielema said there is a lack of “high-powered names, but the attitudes are good” as the install takes place of the 3-4 defense.
Bielema said there is a new rule passed by the NCAA “eliminating double days.” He said that mirrors what has happened in the NFL of late.
In the question-and-answer period with club members, Bielema was asked about Ragnow's leadership. He called his senior center among the nation's best players.
“We were in a weight training session and I asked him to challenge anyone in the room,” Bielema said. “He knew the toughest challenge in the room was Ben Herbert. I've never seen a player challenge the strength coach in my time as a head coach. He beat him.”
Bielema was asked from a woman about the second half of the finale with Missouri and the bowl game with Virginia Tech. The Hogs were outscored 56-0 in the second halves of those games.
“The Missouri game was a little combination of things,” he said. “Things were going so well we didn't max out with intensity. There were probably four or five plays that if we executed a little better, we have an easy win.
“The bowl game against Virginia Tech I think you say so much that you aren't going to let it happen again that it does happen.”
The woman with the question thanked Bielema for the answer, to which Bielema replied, “I'd like to thank you for the question, but I can't.”
Bielema said T.J. Hammonds would line up "full-time" at wide receiver in the spring, although there would be a possibility to hand him the ball as a running back in the fall.
Bielema was asked about the backup quarterback. He mentioned that Ty Storey, Cole Kelley and Hyatt would compete with Allen for the starting job. He did talk up Kelley.
"He's 6-8, 268 today, because I saw the weight chart," Bielema said. "I will say this about our quarterbacks, we had two leave the program, Rafe Peavy and Ricky Town. I will say that when two four-star quarterbacks leave your program, it's because they know what they have and where they sit."