FAYETTEVILLE — Cornerback Ryan Pulley loves what the new coaching staff brings to the table for the Arkansas football team. Out almost all of last year with pectoral surgery, Pulley is 100 percent now. He's stepped up in each of the first two practices this spring with pass interceptions.
Pulley played only one quarter last season before the injury. He's jumping for joy at being back on the field and what he hears from new defensive coordinator John Chavis. He likes what he hears from head coach Chad Morris, too.
It was Chavis this and Chavis that from Pulley when the junior corner came to the media room Saturday, the second through the doors. He's embraced the new boss of the defense, his third coordinator in three seasons.
But he had a puzzled look when someone mentioned “The Chief," the longtime nickname for Chavis. He knew they were talking about Chavis, but wondered aloud why?
“I can't tell you why he's 'The Chief,' but he sure is,” Pulley said. “Do you know why they call him Chief? Everybody else calls him Chief, but I haven't yet. I am going to ask him and find out if that's OK for me. Right now, he's "Coach Chavis" to me.”
A reporter explained it was because Chavis' mom was Cherokee. Early in his time as a college defensive coach players dubbed him “The Chief.” There are explanations if you spend some time with Google.
“I don't do that or Wikipedia,” said Pulley, who further explained that there is plenty to study as he learns “Chief's” new 4-3 alignment.
“When he sat down with us the first time, he said if he can find two safeties, two corners and two rush defensive ends, we've got it,” Pulley said. “I am going to be one of the corners. That's my plan. So I can give him that.”
There's been some of that so far when it comes to Pulley. First, he embraced the winter program given him by Trumain Carroll, the new strength and conditioning coach.
“I'm buff, or I hope you guys can see that,” said Pulley, now listed at 5-11, 199 pounds.
“I'm up a few, maybe. I know I'm stronger. We are all in great shape.”
Pulley ended the one-on-one section of the two-minute drill when he beat wide receiver Jonathan Nance off the line on “a dig route” to intercept Cole Kelley.
“I was in press,” Pulley said. “He tried a dig and I beat him.”
Just about then, Nance was headed out the door of the interview room. He said, “He got me, but never again. I won't ever allow that again.”
Pulley just smiled. He said it followed a similar pick yesterday, again as he worked against the ones.
“It felt good today,” he said. “It feels good to just be back out there, competing.
“I love what we are doing. It's definitely faster tempo. What we are doing now is repetitive work, just drilling and learning terms.
“I'm trying to learn what Coach Chavis wants in a lock down corner. I am trying to get back to the guy I was. We are learning roles and everybody is happy.
“I think when I say everybody is happy, I'm talking about offense, defense. Coach Morris has brought us energy. I'm not saying we didn't have some last year, but it's more.
“Coach Morris brings us energy and Coach Chavis is going to let us play, attack and go after it. Coach Chavis told us from the first day that we were going to get to play. He was going to turn us loose.
“You see guys like Sosa Agim, dropping weight and playing quick. This is his style of play. He's so happy. So are we. We know it's lock down on the corner, pressure the quarterback. Coach Chavis will bring pressure and that helps us in the secondary.
“It's exciting to play for him. He's a really funny guy, but you know when he's serious. You saw that from the first day.”
There appears to be more depth in the secondary, especially with the 2018 class bringing three more to help at corner and safety. There's the possibility that Kevin Richardson could return for a sixth year. He sat out on a redshirt and a surgical redshirt for two seasons. Richardson is cleared to practice, but not full clearance to play, pending paperwork.
“Getting Kevin back would be real big, for experience and leadership,” Pulley said. “That would mean a lot. We have more depth coming, but that would give us even more.
“We've got Kamren Curl on the other side. He took over for me and played great. He'd only been a safety in high school so what he did last year was impressive. We plan to be the top cornerback duo in college football this year.”
Morris said the finish of practice with the two-minute drill offered highlights for both sides. Quarterback Ty Storey, who worked with the twos, had a touchdown pass to freshman receiver Michael Woods.
“There was good for both sides at the end,” Morris said. “Michael Woods had that catch and some others in that drive. He's got great acceleration. He made some catches in our first day, too.”
The atmosphere was unlike most spring drills, especially considering there wasn't a scrimmage.
“It was a great,” Morris said. “We probably had 60 high school coaches. There were 200 prospects and when you count their families, we probably had 800 out there.”
After seeing tape of his team from last year, watching the offseason and seeing two practices, what does he think is the talent level of his first Arkansas team?
“Well, first, it takes zero talent to give energy,” Morris said. “We want energy and hustle first. You keep giving that, it will take you a long way. That's how you succeed. You will get knocked down, just keep getting back up.
“I know it's just the second practice, but I got asked that today by three coaches, about the talent level. It kind of surprised me.
“To say much about that right now would be doing everyone an injustice. I do know we have to get faster and we have to get bigger. We have to become more consistent and we will.
“What you always are doing is working on two teams, the one you have and the one you are trying to recruit and that's what we are doing. We had a huge number of prospects here today. Talent wise, we will continue to get better.
“What you can also do is develop what you have and that's what we have to keep working to do. You get to develop what you've got."
Morris said he plans to bring in elite players from across the country.
"Why not? Why can't we do that?" he said. "We are going after that in everything we do, in this press conference today. I'm doing that right now and I am trying to be the best I can even in a press conference.
“You may think saying you want to have the best freaking press conference is coach speak, but that's what I'm trying to do now.
“Right now, there are recruits watching. They may be thinking, 'I'm going where it's popular.' Well, we are going to be popular at some point.”
Morris said it's too early to know anything depth wise, reminding that what you might see in pre-practice warm-ups might change several times during a practice as players rotate from units in hopes of finding combinations or right fits for a player.
He also reminded that players who have lost weight, like offensive lineman Dalton Wagner, now at 275 on a 6-9 frame. He was close to 340 at one point during his redshirt season.
“It's eating right,” Morris said. “He's going to put it back on and it will be better weight. We've got several young ones like that. You have to get the (baby fat) off.”
Notes:
Linebacker Josh Paul from Kenner, La., is no longer with the team, Morris confirmed after the press conference Saturday. He was often in the doghouse of previous coach Bret Bielema last fall. He was removed from workouts in the summer ahead of his freshman season. He did not dress for any games last season....
Hjalte Froholdt was asked about becoming one of the senior leaders. He said he'd been preparing for the role watching Frank Ragnow, Dan Skipper and even NFL veteran Travis Swanson in the UA weight room.
“I knew that I was going to be in this role, and I was ready,” Froholdt said. “You follow great leaders like Dan, Frank and Travis, you know how it's done. What I recall from those is that they were ready to help when anyone asked. No one ever told me, 'Not now.' They took the time and so that's what I'm doing.”
Froholdt has embraced the new system. Close to Bielema, Froholdt said it's just life to move on when change comes.
“It's going to be like that always,” he said. “You don't hit a wall and stop. You learn from the new coaches. I'm really learning a lot from (line coach Dustin Fry). He's a technician. It's new checks, new calls. We are complex. We have outside zone, inside zone, power and we pull. We have everything and there is new technique.
“Coach Fry will teach us a new play and spend 10 minutes on it to make sure we have it right.
“We have great coaches. Coach Morris is a great coach. I have enjoyed everything. We've got some new things in the weight room, but by the same token they have not changed everything. We are getting things that are making us better.”