FAYETTEVILLE — If a certain University of Arkansas 4.0 pre-med student/linebacker returns healthy next year, then bet on the Razorbacks represented by at least one defensive player at the 2016 SEC football media days in Hoover, Ala.
But for Bret Bielema’s ironclad seniority policy, junior linebacker/pre med student Brooks Ellis might have gone to Hoover on Wednesday.
It would have been difficult limiting 3 of 4 among Ellis, senior quarterback Brandon Allen, senior running back Jonathan Williams and senior receiver Keon Hatcher.
Bielema was the league’s only coach choosing three players from just one side of the ball to accompany him to media days.
That may have surprised some since Bielema’s background is defense all the way. He played nose guard at Iowa, coached Iowa linebackers and coordinated defenses at Kansas State and Wisconsin before becoming head coach at Wisconsin in 2006-2012 and Arkansas since 2013.
At Arkansas’ Wednesday afternoon session, Bielema said none of his current defensive seniors had consistently paid their starting dues longer than Allen, Hatcher and Williams, all recruited by Bobby Petrino and lettering in 2012 under John L. Smith.
“We didn’t bring any defensive players but it’s not a slap to them,” Bielema said. “We had three offensive players that deserve it. I don’t bring underclassmen to events like this because you begin to create your own problems when you do those types of things. We bring seniors who have earned it and they will be rewarded.”
Ellis has rewarded Arkansas two years running. Straight out of Fayetteville High School, he opened 2013 as a second-team outside linebacker elevated to starting middle linebacker the last five games.
“I didn’t want to put him in and feed him to the wolves,” Bielema said. “We eased him in and he played very well down the stretch his freshman year. Last year he owned that position.”
Ellis broke up five passes and intercepted two others, while his 72 tackles were second on the team only to the 128 by senior weakside linebacker Martrell Spaight, the SEC’s leading tackler in 2014.
Now Bielema wills the weakside to Ellis and anticipates Spaight results.
“We moved him to our premier position and to think we don’t expect him to be one or two in the league in tackles would be a disappointment.” Bielema said. “He is our most productive player and runs well. He is extremely gifted, very intelligent.”
On a defense Bielema admiringly calls the “Bad News Bears,” a collection of no-names he believes will excel together, Brooks Ellis is his name player.
Ellis is on the Butkus Award watch list, the honor voted in December to the nation’s best linebacker. And between his academic achievements and volunteer community service from picking up trash on highways to working with underprivileged kids and assisting Special Olympics, Ellis is on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy honoring college football’s top community servant.
All good news for Bielema’s “Bad News Bears.”