Arkansas
New Year, Heightened Expections for Arkansas Secondary
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas secondary coach Deron Wilson is helping Razorbacks get a degree. They won’t receive an official diploma from the university, but he’s hoping that by the time his defensive backs get their degrees from him, it will translate to more wins.
“We talk about in a defensive back room having a PhD in football,” Wilson said. “When you think about elite players, they’re just not playing off ability. They’re playing off of ability and football IQ. When you get a PhD in football that means you’ll be in the NFL for six plus years just off of, ‘Hey, I understand when two go in, what one is going to do; when two go out, what one is going to do.”
That’s the jump that he’s hoping youngsters like Jaheim Singletary and Jaylon Braxton take in their second years with the program as sophomores to rely on more than just their raw talent. Both of them showcased that with successful freshman campaigns, with Braxton picking up All-SEC Freshman honors from the coaches poll.
“When I see something a third time and I come back in and I’m about to walk up to them and talk to them I’ll be about to walk up and they say that,” Wilson said. “They say exactly what I was thinking. I’m like, ‘All right, we’re heading in the right direction.’ We’re definitely climbing and we’re trending upwards.”
The players have felt that growth within themselves as well, allowing them to play with a renewed confidence.
I think I’ve gotten better with just knowing what the offense is trying to do to me, Braxton said. “What they’re trying to do to the defense. Just recognizing route concepts.”
Coach Sam Pittman will probably require even more out of Wilson’s unit, despite a marked improvement in his first year in Fayetteville. Arkansas finished last year with 202.8 yards allowed though the air, the team’s best mark since 2011, but there may be even more to unlock with the perfect mix of athleticism and now smarts with their “PhD”.
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Arkansas
OPINION | JOHN BRUMMETT: Reasons to be skeptical on Arkansas’ PBS claims | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
John Brummett
John Brummett’s career in news began when he was in high school, as a part-time reporter for the Arkansas Democrat. He moved to the Arkansas Gazette in 1977.
He wrote a political column for the Gazette from 1986 to 1990. He was an editor for the Arkansas Times from 1990 to 1992.
In 1994, his book, “High Wire: From the Back Roads to the Beltway, the Education of Bill Clinton,” was published by Hyperion of New York City. He became a columnist with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 1994. In 2000, he signed a deal with Donrey Media Group, now known as Stephens Media, and wrote for them for 11 years.
He rejoined Democrat-Gazette as a columnist on Oct. 24, 2011.
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball sophomore Karter Knox is probable to play against South Carolina, according to the SEC Availability Report released on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
John Calipari said Knox suffered a hip pointer injury during the No. 17 Razorbacks (12-4, 2-1 SEC) 95-73 loss to Auburn over the weekend. Arkansas returns to action against the Gamecocks on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Calipari said he didn’t know the exact moment when Knox was hurt against Auburn, but it occurred during the first period as Knox did not play after halftime. He finished the night with zero points in seven minutes.
During his weekly radio show on Monday, Jan. 12, Calipari confirmed Knox had not practiced since the loss to Auburn.
This is not the first time Knox has dealt with an injury this season. He missed the opening game of the year with a toe sprain. The second-year guard is averaging 8.6 points and five rebounds while shooting a team-best 43.5% from 3-point range.
If Knox can play, he would get the chance to go against his older brother for the first time in their respective college careers. Kobe Knox is a redshirt senior at South Carolina after transferring from South Florida before the season.
If something changes before tipoff and Karter is sidelined, one of Billy Richmond III or Meleek Thomas will start against the Gamecocks.
Richmond would be a seamless replacement on the defensive end, although he is not as good of an outside shooter. Richmond is averaging 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
Thomas would be the aggressive pick on offense. The five-star freshman is Arkansas’ second-leading scorer with 15.4 points per game.
The biggest question is whether Calipari would go deeper into his bench to replace Knox in Arkansas’ eight-man rotation. Isaiah Sealy has been the Hogs’ ninth man this season, but he’s only averaging 8.9 minutes and has appeared in four games since the beginning of December.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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