FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas will conduct its first full-pad workout of training camp today, and some of the team's top hitters couldn't be happier.
"I'm always ready for full pads," strong safety Santos Ramirez said. "That's the main thing I love to do is hit. It's my passion, so when we put them pads on, it's a different monster."
Said linebacker Dre Greenlaw: "I feel like we're preparing well, and I feel like everybody can't wait to put on full pads so we can get ready to hit."
Coach Bret Bielema had a message Sunday for the players who think donning the full gear is a pain.
"The game becomes easier once you put pads on," Bielema said. "If you're a player who thinks the next day is going to be harder because we put on pads, then you don't belong here. If you think the extra gear will slow you down or not make you a better player, then you are in the wrong program."
Barry bounce
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema called tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. a coordinator in waiting during his media day news conference Sunday.
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos expounded on those remarks later in the day.
"Awesome coach, great person," said Enos, who traded friendly barbs with Lunney a few times last season regarding days as college quarterbacks. "He's certainly done an outstanding job recruiting here. We've signed some very good players. As a position coach, he obviously had the Mackey Award winner last year, so that speaks volumes. But a very, very good quality football coach and a great person."
Tight end Hunter Henry won the Mackey Award last year as the nation's top tight end.
Dre on the way
Dre Greenlaw ranked second on the team as a freshman last season with 95 tackles, and the 6-0, 226-pound linebacker said his learning curve has decreased heading into his sophomore year.
"The coaches really harped on me to just try and know the game inside and out," Greenlaw said. "I really focused this year, this spring on just trying to know what I'm supposed to do and also know what everyone else is supposed to do to help me play faster."
Defensive coordinator Robb Smith said that work has paid off.
"I told people after spring football that I thought Dre Greenlaw was our most improved defensive player," Smith said. "He had a really good freshman year for us. We kind of threw him in the fire. I thought he was a more technically sound linebacker in the spring."
Hedlund on target
Kicker Cole Hedlund estimated he was 12 for 12 on field goal attempts through the first three days of camp before Monday's practice.
Hedlund went 4 for 4 during the early portion of practice open to the media Saturday, including a long of 48 yards.
"It's been a really good camp so far," Hedlund said.
Hedlund said he tried to add strength during the offseason.
"I've really been working on getting height on the ball and consistency, just trying to take things from last year that I can improve on," he said.
Hedlund was 9 for 15 on field goals last season, including a career-best 45-yard make at Ole Miss, but he had four kicks blocked.
Hedlund, Adam McFain and Connor Limpert are all contending for place kicks and kickoff duties.
Karl's mark
Junior Karl Roesler is Arkansas' shortest defensive lineman at 6-1 and also one of its lightest at 265 pounds. But the former walk-on has been a consistent contributor, and with projected starter Tevin Beanum not on the 105-man roster for personal issues, Roesler is taking first-team work at the rush end position.
"It's a blast," Roesler said. "Obviously, I feel bad for Tevin and everything that he's gone through, but I'm glad to be out there."
Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith called Roesler "an unsung hero" because of his ability to plug different spots, as he did in a linebacker role for the Hogs' 31-14 victory at LSU last year.
LaFrance on hold
Freshman linebacker Giovanni LaFrance suffered a broken right hand about four weeks ago and is wearing a cast.
Coach Bret Bielema said LaFrance is in position to join the 105-man roster if another linebacker is hurt.
LaFrance said he suffered the injury during 7-on-7 work.
"I was jamming the 270-pound tight end [Austin Cantrell], and I somehow fell on my hand," LaFrance said.
An X-ray showed a bone in his hand had split, LaFrance added.
Big-play guys
Asked who had scored touchdowns during the first three days of camp, offensive coordinator Dan Enos rattled off a list of players.
The touchdown scorers included Drew Morgan, Keon Hatcher, Cody Hollister, Jordan Jones, Damon Mitchell, Jeremy Sprinkle and "really a lot of those guys," said Enos, who added that Jones had scored a couple of times.
Town home
Ricky Town, a redshirt freshman quarterback who transferred to the Razorbacks during training camp last year after going through spring drills at USC, said his experience at Arkansas has been awesome.
"I'm enjoying every bit of it," said the 6-3, 214-pounder from Thousand Oaks, Calif., who was the No. 2 pocket passer and No. 22 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior 300 in 2014.
Town said he picked the Razorbacks a year ago-- when things weren't working out for him at USC -- because of Bret Bielema and offensive coordinator Dan Enos' philosophy.
"The biggest thing was the pro-style offense," Town said. "I was looking for a pro-style school, under center and in the huddle. So I came to Arkansas and met Coach B. He was outstanding, a real standup coach, someone I wanted to learn from and be mentored by.
"And coach Enos, he develops quarterbacks. That's someone I wanted to be coached by. That and just the environment and the culture of how the Hogs are everything in Arkansas."
Extra points
• Cornerback Ryan Pulley has been regaining his strength after opening camp with strep throat, defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads said.
• Former Arkansas defensive back Willie Sykes has made it on Texas Tech's 105-man roster for camp, according to the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal. Sykes had nine tackles in 12 games, playing mostly on special teams last season.
• After today's first full-pad practice, the Razorbacks will engage in a two-a-day session Wednesday.
Sports on 08/09/2016