Razorbacks Report

New sod put down on field

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is shown Monday, Aug. 5, 2019, in Fayetteville. Crews are in their fifth month of a field installation at Arkansas' football home that will change the surface back to natural grass in time for the Razorbacks' Aug. 31 season opener against Portland State.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The laying of the new sod at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on the University of Arkansas campus began Monday morning after four semitrailers carrying the grass from Winstead Turf Farms outside of Memphis rolled across the state over night.

Razorbacks football Coach Chad Morris has advocated for a return to natural grass in the Natural State since his hiring 20 months ago, and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek was on board.

"Ten other SEC schools play on a natural grass surface, so the majority of our games are played on natural grass, and Coach Morris and I agreed that this is where football should be played," Yurachek said during a news conference at the stadium. "We both love the smell of the freshly cut grass and the look of the freshly painted grass.

"That's where the game of football should be played, and it should be played for sure in the Natural State."

Bobby Winstead of Winstead Turf Farms made the drive to Fayetteville to observe the installation of the Tahoma 31 Bermuda grass above an Evergreen matrix atop the drainage system and sand.

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"It's fantastic that Arkansas took such a leap of faith on something that's brand-new in the United States," Winstead said. "The Australians have been using this Evergreen turf matrix for the last 12 to 15 years, and it's doing a great job."

The Tahoma 31 grass was developed at Oklahoma State.

"It's the most cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant Bermuda grass in the world," Winstead said. "It's been out a couple of years. This is the first field in the United States that's going to have the two put together."

Shelley Simpson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at J.B. Hunt, said the transportation titan based in Northwest Arkansas was eager to be involved in trucking the grass from the farm in Arlington, Tenn., to Razorback Stadium.

"The first thing I would say is we have an opportunity to lay the foundation for the next national championship," said Simpson, a 1994 UA graduate. "For us being an Arkansas-based company and being here in Northwest Arkansas, being a part of what will be history for us was a critical component for us to consider."

Simpson said J.B. Hunt partnered with four other carriers from across the state to bring the 25 shipments of sod rolls to the stadium.

"We wanted to bring a sense of pride across the community to allow other people from different parts of the state to participate," Simpson said.

Go time?

Strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll said last week that receiver Jordan Jones and cornerback Ladarrius Bishop are the fastest Razorbacks.

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Carroll said they haven't run 40-yard dashes, but their speed has been measured at 23 miles per hour.

Jones wasn't ready to anoint himself the team's speed king when asked whether he or Bishop is faster.

"I don't want to speak on it," Jones said Monday. "I told him I want to race him. We will see how it is. It's just competition. He's pretty fast and quick, too. I think it'll be a good race one day."

Smiling Trey

Coach Chad Morris praised the positive attitude of Trey Knox when asked about the freshman receiver last week.

"We tell our guys all the time, 'When we recruit you, we want you to be you.' If you wear a cowboy hat and a big belt buckle, come in here wearing a cowboy hat and a big belt buckle," Morris said. "Don't come in here and be somebody you're not. And Trey Knox, he smiles because he loves life.

"This guy truly loves every day he wakes up. It's not a front, he's been smiling since the day he got here. It's a credit to his family, and it's a credit to the way he views everyday life. And it's contagious. I will say that, because he gets everybody smiling."

Next man up

Coach Chad Morris said the Razorbacks offensive linemen are taking a "professional" approach to the loss of tackle Noah Gatlin to a knee injury on the first day of drills.

"They're obviously very disappointed for Noah," Morris said. "They understand it's part of the game, that's going to happen, and it's the next-man-up mentality. So these guys will respond. They'll come together and respond and pull together and have a great camp and lead them to a great season."

Seal training

Linebacker Grant Morgan and wide receiver Mike Woods were presented with special T-shirts from the instructors from The Program Athletics, which handled the team-building exercises that closed summer conditioning work for the Razorbacks.

The shirts, which feature the Navy Sea Air and Land (SEAL) teams' shield, can only be given by former SEALs.

"Man, for someone else to come in here and see what we're doing, how we're becoming as a team ... to be recognized as one of the leaders of the team, that really means a lot to me," Morgan, a junior from Greenwood, said. "We have a lot of leaders on this team, but for them to recognize that I've just been working at my craft of being a leader, it means a lot, especially people as prestigious as they are."

Woods, a sophomore from Magnolia, Texas, said the honor from the SEALs was special.

"It just showed me that I'm capable of being that leader that I know I can be," Woods said. "It just showed me I'm capable of being that guy."

Woods was in charge of the offense during the pool segment of the training.

"We all had to be in line and be one heartbeat," Woods said. "We all had to do the same thing at the same time. Everybody had to be on the same page or it didn't count. I was in charge of that."

Cross training

Offensive lineman Myron Cunningham, a junior-college transfer who went through spring practice, has been working primarily at left tackle behind Colton Jackson, but he also got reps as a backup at right tackle Monday.

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Cunningham worked at both tackle spots in the spring and started on the left side in the Red-White game when Jackson was sidelined by a knee injury.

Cunningham was asked Monday whether he felt comfortable playing right tackle.

"As of now? Probably not," he said. "But, give me a week or two, and I'll probably be good."

Gimme '3'

Defensive tackle McTelvin Agim's main reasons for returning to Arkansas for his senior season rather than enter the NFL Draft included helping the Razorbacks win more games, mentor his young teammates and improve his stock for the 2020 draft.

But there was another reason Agim wanted to play one more college season -- so he can wear No. 3.

"I'm never going to be able to wear 3 competitively again after this season," Agim said. "A D-lineman can't wear a number like that in the NFL. So I'm going to enjoy getting to wear 3 before I have to get a bigger number."

Watch the toes

Defensive end Gabe Richardson said freshman Collin Clay, who didn't arrive on campus until the summer, is doing well in practice, but he has been a little tough on assistant coach Steve Caldwell's toes.

"Collin's adapting pretty quick," Richardson said. "He's a big dude. He's strong."

Richardson said during individual drills when the ends are hitting the blocking shields -- which are held by Caldwell -- Clay is punishing more than the padded bag.

"He's stepping on Coach Caldwell's toes a little too much," Richardson said. "We can't go nowhere with our coach."

Stromberg impresses

Junior tackle Myron Cunningham mentioned Ricky Stromberg as "standing out a little bit" when asked if any freshmen have been impressing him.

"He's been versatile. He's able to play some right guard and some center," Cunningham said. "He's just been really good."

Sports on 08/06/2019

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