LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas defensive coordinator John Chavis recently lamented the fact that he would only have senior defensive end Randy Ramsey for one season.
“He’s a natural, no question about it,” Chavis said two weeks ago. “I’ve been blessed to be around and coach some of the best defensive ends in the country in college football and I made the statement I’d love to have him for two or three years.”
Ramsey, who had two sacks among his three tackles during Saturday’s Red-White game, wishes he had more time, too.
“I really wish I had three more years with him,” Ramsey said. “My resume, like he said, would really be outstanding. As far as when you go look at career stats, I’m not a guy that has (a lot of) career stats, but I feel like if I had three years with him, it would definitely be up there.”
Chavis sees some similarities between his former Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett, who was taken No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns in the 2016 NFL Draft, and Ramsey, who had 42 tackles with two sacks and five tackles for lost yardage last season.
“I was amazed because Coach Chavis has coached some of the top elite guys at LSU,” Ramsey said. “For him to compare me, even Myles Garrett – he coached Myles Garrett – so for him to compare me to those type of guys, I was like, ‘Wow.’”
Ramsey has flourished this spring in a move back to the 4-3 defense after last year's 3-4.
“I feel like it is all on the coaches - the play calls and the schemes and then I just go out and do my job,” Ramsey said. “They are putting me in the right positions to be out there and be a playmaker.”
That includes a lot of one-on-one situations in which he is able to use his quickness against offensive tackles.
“I am able to be in a lot of one-on-ones situations with this defense and I love it,” Ramsey said. “There is more freedom to rush the passer. Last year I wasn’t really rushing as much. I was dropping more than rushing the passer.
“It’s less thinking and we are sending more pressure is another thing.”
He tweeted his pleasure playing this way after the Red-White game, writing, “When was the last time you saw an Arkansas defense dial up pressure??? I Been waiting my whole career to rush the QB and this coaching staff is giving me that opportunity!!”
Chavis' scheme will bring more pressure from everywhere on the field. It has been the hallmark of his 23-year career as an SEC coordinator.
“I just think as a whole unit that we are able to play much faster,” Ramsey said. “Coach Chavis is a guru at sending pressure so that helps a lot and we have a lot of guys getting in one-on-one situations. Each day, we can send pressure from anywhere - defensive end, middle linebacker, Will.”
The offense won 27-25 on the scoreboard, but the defense appeared to have the better scrimmage.
The defense had 7 sacks, 9 tackles for lost yardage, 9 pass breakups and a forced fumble caused by Jamario Bell that Michael Taylor took back 35 yards to the 3-yard line on the final play of the first half.
“I feel like this was the defensive’s best practice of the whole spring,” Ramsey said. “We really moved around great. They really showed up today.”
Ramsey said he thinks the defense will continue to get a lot accomplished during this summer's player-led workouts.
“We’ll get all that stuff down this summer,” Ramsey said. “We have made a lot of progress. You get 15 practices in the spring and I feel like everything that they threw at us that we really soaked it in well.”
Going against the program’s high-tempo offense will prepare the defense for the SEC campaign.
“It’s demanding,” Ramsey said. “You really have to be in shape to play defense and go against that tempo and you really have to be keyed in on your job because when you are tired, you don’t think straight. That is where errors come and it really keeps us on our Ps and Qs going against the offense every day."
Ramsey made it clear that a normal practice was harder than the Red-White game.
“Practice is worse,” Ramsey said. “This was really like a game day atmosphere. They have been killing us all spring. So it wasn’t that bad today.
“We have come real far. The first day I was like, 'Hey, Coach slow down,' but it is getting easier."