'He has everything': Coates turning heads in camp

Arkansas defensive end Julius Coates is shown during a practice on Aug. 24, 2020.

FAYETTEVILLE — It is safe to say Julius Coates is turning heads in Arkansas’ preseason practices.

The Razorbacks have not yet worked out in full pads, but the defensive end from East Mississippi Community College has received positive reviews from a number of teammates and even defensive coordinator Barry Odom.

They have been colorful, too.

"I go against Julius just about every day at practice,” Arkansas offensive lineman Myron Cunningham said during a Zoom conference on Monday. “He's very twitchy, and for how big he is, he's got a lot of speed.

“He’s very athletic on the edge.”

Bumper Pool, a junior and the leader of the second level of Arkansas’ defense, is eager to see what kind of season the transfer will put together. He took his description of Coates a step further.

“That kid is an animal,” added Pool, second on the team with 94 tackles last fall. “He's explosive.”

Odom, entering his first season with the Razorbacks after spending the previous four years at Missouri, attributes that explosiveness to Coates’ training since arriving on campus.

The leaders of Arkansas’ strength and conditioning staff, Jamil Walker and Ed Ellis, have transformed his body. Coates is listed at 6-7, 289 pounds on the team’s updated roster.

He is up 14 pounds since his junior college days.

“He’s a big, tall, long, explosive athlete,” Odom added. “He’s become bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, quicker, all those things. I would say if you had a before-and-after picture of what Julius looked like from the day he walked in to where he was when we cut loose here, he maybe transformed as much as anybody.”

Coates, who spent his first season of college football lining up at tight end for Ellsworth Community College in Iowa, transitioned to the defensive line at EMCC. Last fall, he totaled 30 tackles, 19 solo, nine tackles for loss and six sacks.

He recorded half of his tackles and five of his six sacks in conference play. Coates also forced and recovered two fumbles and broke up a pair of passes.

The Razorbacks are hopeful that disruptive nature will shine through in 2020 as well.

“We’re going to count on Julius being a major factor for us,” Odom said. “That’s the reason we recruited him, and he’s done a terrific job of developing his skillset since he’s been on campus.”

Dorian Gerald, another junior college transfer along the defensive front and a projected starter opposite Coates, is very high on the redshirt junior. Coates was rated the No. 13 junior college strongside defensive end in the country by 247 Sports.

“He's huge, he's fast, he's strong, quick-twitchy,” Gerald said of Coates, who chose Arkansas over Oregon, Nebraska and Colorado. “He has everything.”