How Trey Knox ‘stuffing his face’ could get Arkansas football back to tight end glory days

FAYETTEVILLE — As Trey Knox got here off the sector after his second landing of the day in opposition to Cincinnati, Arkansas soccer coach Sam Pittman had a query for him: Was the senior glad he’d made the change from extensive receiver to tight finish?

“I advised him, ‘Heck sure,’ ” Knox mentioned after the sport. “I won’t have mentioned ‘heck.’ “

Knox moved from wideout to tight finish in Arkansas’ second sport of the 2021 season. One yr and about 30 kilos of weight achieve later, Knox is the beginning tight finish. He led the No. 17 Razorbacks (1-0) with 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches within the 31-24 win over the Bearcats. In opposition to South Carolina (1-0) on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN), he’ll look to match his spectacular begin.

Arkansas has a current historical past of outstanding receiving tight ends, however in the previous couple of seasons, extremely touted prospects on the place have not panned out as anticipated. The Razorbacks hope Knox can restore the tight finish glory days of the early to mid-2010s and have a shot at an NFL profession.

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Latest excellence at tight finish

The 2008 season kicked off virtually a decade of constant success for Arkansas tight ends. D.J. Williams was a sophomore and posted 723 receiving yards, which stays essentially the most in a single season by a decent finish in program historical past.

After two extra sturdy seasons, Williams was chosen within the fifth spherical within the 2011 NFL Draft. Not lacking a beat, receiver-turned-tight finish Chris Gragg completed with 518 yards and two scores as a junior in 2012. He was chosen within the 2013 draft. A Razorback tight finish was then chosen within the draft every year from 2015-17: first AJ Derby, then Hunter Henry, and eventually Jeremy Sprinkle.

Arkansas anticipated that success to proceed after Sprinkle with some extremely anticipated tight finish prospects in subsequent recruiting courses. However after these did not go in addition to the Razorbacks hoped, Pittman turned to his extensive receiver room and located Knox.

‘The perfect factor that occurred for Trey’

Dwayne Beasley suspected Knox would possibly transfer to tight finish. As proprietor of Beasley Elite Sports activities Coaching, Beasley has labored with athletes reminiscent of Main League Baseball pitcher Sonny Grey and others from the Murfreesboro space. He had labored with Knox since center faculty. Beasley noticed in Knox a contented child with good grades and the potential to be nice.

When Knox got here dwelling for spring break after his freshman season at Arkansas, Beasley noticed a younger man who had bodily reworked. The collegiate conditioning and diet packages had made Knox greater and stronger.

“I used to be identical to, ‘Dude, you achieve all this weight, you might find yourself being a decent finish,’ ” Beasley mentioned. “Trey was like, ‘I am not going to be a decent finish.’ “

The extra Beasley considered it, the extra sense it made. Knox had all the time been “a hell of a blocker,” and athletic, pass-catching tight ends have been in style within the NFL.

Knox was moved to tight finish after the Razorbacks’ first sport in opposition to Rice final season. He performed behind starter Blake Kern and had 141 receiving yards with 20 receptions and a TD in 12 video games.

Making the place change in the course of the season was a problem. Knox had all the time been massive as a receiver, however at 6-foot-5 and 215 kilos, he was slight for a decent finish. Now, in his senior season, Knox has had months of labor with tight ends coach Dowell Loggains. He is bulked as much as 245 kilos by packing on muscle the load room and meals within the kitchen. Knox mentioned he was “stuffing his face,” ingesting chocolate milk earlier than mattress and consuming loads of steak and potatoes.

However shifting from receiver to tight finish is about greater than weight. Knox has needed to adapt his footwork and discover ways to block a lot greater defensive ends and linebackers.

“It is a mindset, and that is the place the psychological toughness is available in,” Loggains mentioned in August. “Not everyone could make this transition, however Trey is a mentally powerful child.”

Knox thought-about transferring after that freshman season. The Razorbacks have been going by way of a training change, and Beasley noticed Knox was annoyed. However after he spoke with Pittman, he determined to remain. Now, he could possibly be the tight finish Arkansas has been looking for for years. And with two four-star tight ends main Arkansas’ 2023 recruiting class, Knox could possibly be the primary in a brand new line of Razorback greats on the place.

“He talked to Pittman, and he advised (Knox) what he had in retailer for him,” Beasley mentioned. “He embraced that, and also you see now he is first in Pittman’s offense. I feel Pittman coming in was the perfect factor that occurred for Trey.”

Christina Lengthy covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Instances Report and USA At the moment Community. You’ll be able to comply with her on Twitter @christinalong00 or electronic mail her at clong@swtimes.com.