FAYETTEVILLE — Trelon Smith isn’t among the big backs in the SEC, but there are none with a bigger heart. His desire to compete is among his strengths.
“I think so,” Smith said. “I always like to say I have the heart of a lion. I want to be the best.”
It doesn’t matter if it’s football or any recreation sport, the 5-9, 190-pound Arkansas tailback does not like to lose — or even struggle.
That’s why Smith was frustrated when a team outing in the middle of spring drills to Top Golf in Rogers proved to be a challenge. Smith has no ability at golf.
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“Man, that’s harder than it looks,” Smith said. “I was having a hard time even hitting that little ball. I just did what I always do, compete and try to figure out how to be good.
“We were done and I didn’t want to leave.”
It was a fun outing, making up for the lone planned team outing that was wiped out when the Hogs lost their trip to Houston for the Texas Bowl. TCU bailed on the bowl because of injuries and covid-19.
“That was tough,” said Smith, a product of Cy Ridge High School in Houston. “I was so excited. We were going back to my city. It really hurt our whole team. We found out just before we were to get on the bus.
“It was a shocker. We all thought we were about to have a big (winning) game.”
Smith eyes the 2021 season with the same excitement.
“I’m real excited,” he said. “I think this is going to be a big season. We plan on it being a big season. We are rolling in the right direction as a program.”
Smith points to coach Sam Pittman for charting the course.
“Everything he does is right,” Smith said. “It’s the little details. It’s the way he stays on us to get our degrees. It’s not just football.
“I see a man who wants the best for every player this spring. He wants us to do the right things when no one is watching. It’s about family.”
That was obvious when the team met behind the stadium after the spring game for a picnic with family.
“Coach Pittman took time to talk to every member of every family,” Smith said. “That stood out to me. He wanted to meet your parents, your grandparents. He cares.
“What that means, we are headed straight to the top. I think it’s all adding up to a winning season and a good bowl game.”
Smith thinks Reynolds Razorback Stadium will be an exciting atmosphere.
“We couldn’t fill it last year because of covid,” he said. “Covid took that atmosphere from us after we got off to a good start.
“I sure hope we are at full capacity because it’s going to be real loud. I want the cheerleaders and the band on the field. We want that true football experience. Our team is excited to show what we can do.
“I’m getting chills talking about it. We are definitely on our way and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Pittman’s strengths are his ability to find ways to build a tough team.
“What you have is an absolute leader,” Smith said. “He expects us to bust our tails in every little thing.
“He is one with his players. It’s a connection. It shows in his face.”
Smith led the Hogs in rushing with 727 yards on 134 carries. He scored five touchdowns, including three against Missouri. He was stellar down the stretch after Rakeem Boyd opted out, which left Smith with more carries.
“I just tried to do a good job behind Rakeem, then I kind of exploded,” Smith said. “When he left, I kind of looked in the mirror and said, ‘What you going to do with this opportunity?’
“I knew it was time to step up. It was what I’d been working for and I did step up.”
There were highlights in that closing stretch with an 83-yard touchdown burst at Florida. He ran for 172 yards and three touchdowns at Missouri. There were 69 tough yards on 19 carries against No. 1 Alabama to end the season.
The long run against Florida was highlight-reel stuff. He found a huge hole on a counter play to the left, made a hard cut in the hole and outsprinted a talented UF corner for the touchdown.
Smith said the cut-back move was set up by a block from tight end Blake Kern.
“He was pulling with the tackle,” Smith said. “My job was to stay patient and let the play develop. I’m supposed to stay on the inside hip of the tight end. We hit the ‘A’ gap and I felt daylight back to my right.
“It was one cut and a lot of green. I think Blake picked up the linebacker and the safety was coming down and my cutback made him wrong. It was a house call.”
It was a play that showcased Smith’s vision. Along with his speed and quickness, Smith always seems to see the holes as they open.
“I do think I have great vision,” he said. “I think every game I play the game slows down a little more and I see things better.
“I know that another strength is that I don’t hesitate and I’m going to compete. I’m always going to compete.
“I take game day personal. I have a drive to win. No one can take that from me.”
Smith had a lot of that drive stored up last year after sitting out 2019 because of transfer rules. He’d gained experience at Arizona State.
“Coming to Arkansas and playing in the SEC is absolutely the best decision I’ve ever made,” he said. “Coming out of high school, I would have liked the SEC but no one really contacted me. So I never thought about Arkansas until (former coach Chad Morris) contacted me when I was leaving ASU.
“It’s crazy to see where life takes you. I would have loved the SEC out of high school, but it was just a bunch of Big 12 and Pac-12 teams.
“I can tell you after playing in the Pac-12, the main difference is that the SEC has more size. There are good teams in the Pac-12, but it’s more of a speed conference. The guys are bigger here and that’s the transition.”
However, Smith doesn’t see the transition as a problem and knows that 190 pounds are plenty for him to carry.
“It’s funny because football is a physical game and you need strength,” he said. “I don’t want to play at more than 190. I might get to 195 in the summer, but will probably play at 190. I finished last year at 187.
“This is not a game where size wins for a back. It’s a game of feet. You got to be able to move. I lift hard, but I make sure to get my agility work on the field, too.”
The redshirt junior said he tried to copy Adrian Peterson’s style as a youngster.
“I wore No. 28 and watched him with the Minnesota Vikings,” Smith said. “I liked his nickname, All Day.”
Then, he found a mentor, former Kansas City Chief running back Harvey Williams.
“He was my football coach in middle school,” Smith said. “I got to go to his home and saw his NFL jersey on the wall, No. 22. He had a nice house, nice things. That was motivation.
“I decided to change to No. 22. He told me he believed in me and has stuck with me. He is my guy. He watches me on TV and gives me phone calls with feedback on what I’m doing.”
Smith tries to be the mentor to the rest of the backs on the Arkansas team. He’s a big fan of senior T.J. Hammonds.
“I think T.J. can do big things both in the running game and running pass routes,” Smith said. “We saw that late last year with some big plays. He’s a true player and can be a huge weapon.
“You saw Dominique Johnson come on in spring drills. He’s improved a lot and can be that big back we need. I’ve talked to him about running with his pads down more. He ran too high when he first got here. He’s worked on that.
“Then, there are the two new ones we got this spring, Rocket Sanders and A.J. Hunt. I like them both. Rocket, he might be the next big thing. He’s a big guy with that burst and he can catch the ball, too.”
Smith thinks the Hogs will have a complete offense. He sees a much improved offensive line with a more physical attitude. Quarterback K.J. Jefferson took control of the offense in the spring.
“Oh man, he’s got the offense behind him,” Smith said. “You saw him step up in the Missouri game. He’s just getting better and better. He really knew his reads as we finished the spring.
“I think he knows how to spread the ball around and get it to the backs to beat the blitz. I think he is able to see those blitzes and knows where the ball should go.”
Smith likes the screens and flat passes out of the backfield, but knows there are times the running back has to protect.
“When I first got here, it took me a bit to learn that aspect,” he said. “I had to prove at 187, I could hang with the big dogs. I think I got better with pass protection.
“Here is what I know: if you can’t protect, you can’t play.”
That’s not something anyone questions about Trelon Smith. He has the heart to play.
This story first appeared in Hawgs Illustrated