FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and receiver Trey Knox are in agreement about the type of player Simeon Blair is.
A former defensive back and quarterback at Pine Bluff High School who threw for more than 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns, Blair appears to have found a fit in the Razorbacks’ secondary. And he hasn’t been one to shy away from contact this spring.
Pittman raved about the redshirt junior’s confidence and playmaking after Arkansas’ second scrimmage last weekend. He broke up two passes and came away with an interception on a ball he laid out for after it was tipped by freshman receiver Jaedon Wilson.
He has made an impression on Knox. In his six-plus minute interview with reporters on Thursday, the receiver twice labeled Blair a great player.
“He will not hesitate to hit you,” he added. “The boy is smart. He reads his keys. I mean, he’s calling out plays just off of our alignment that we run, and they’re jumping routes and they’re over there making plays.”
Blair finished with 23 tackles in 2020 and broke up a pair of passes against Georgia in the season opener and at Mississippi State. His push to becoming a consistent piece in the back end of the Razorbacks’ defense can be credited, in large part, to the work he has put in behind the scenes.
He is studying tape regularly and has found those extra sessions to be beneficial. A message from cornerbacks coach Sam Carter has also been burned into his mind.
“He really talks to us about the way you do one thing is the way you do everything,” Blair said. “I just went about trying to go as hard as I can in every aspect of my life. If that’s education, if that’s football, I’m going to do it to the max. I need to get my work done and get that done beforehand.
“That way I can watch more film, and film has been a big part in why I’m playing more confident this spring. I watch more film than I feel I did in my entire life, and it’s good to see that paying off for me.”
Blair said he and Knox had a number of 1-on-1 sessions prior to the start of spring practices in which they gifted the other pointers. He let Knox know what defensive backs are looking at when matched up with a receiver, and Knox provided him tips on how receivers like to attack secondary players.
Blair prides himself in being a physical player. It is a key reason why he first saw the field on special teams as a redshirt freshman in 2019.
There is only one way to play defense, he said: Violent and fast.
“I just try to keep that in my mind every play, even if we’re in practice,” Blair added. “I try to be in game mode, even in practice, because the way you practice is the way you’re going to play. If you practice soft and aren’t running fast to the ball every play, you’re going to do that in a game on some plays.
“I just try to keep that in my mind, to practice hard, because that’s how the game is going to be.”
Jalen Catalon, the leader in Arkansas’ defensive backfield, believes Blair has a hunger to improve daily. He also commended Blair earlier this week for his film room habits.
“We are kind of motivated the same,” Catalon said. “We just want to get better each and every day and are never satisfied. We watch film together all the time, look at what we can do to get better, maybe do this or do that.
“I’m just proud of him stepping up in the back end and making plays. I’m glad to see he’s getting the recognition he deserves from coaches and from the outside.”