FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks have had less than two months to take in the personality and teachings of defensive coordinator John Chavis.
So far they like the approach the longtime SEC veteran, who has gone by the nickname "Chief" for decades, has brought to the Hill.
"I'm excited," junior linebacker De'Jon Harris said. "Just looking back at the players he's had and the defenses he coached and seeing that we could be another one of the great defenses that the Chief has, we're all excited about it."
The Razorbacks will be back on the practice field today for spring practice No. 3 of 15 looking to further implement Chavis' schemes.
Harris provided some insight into the style of Chavis, 61, who will coach the linebackers in Arkansas' return to a base 4-3 front.
"Chief is laid back," Harris said. "He's kind of more high energy when we're in individual drills. He'll get on you, but he doesn't do any fussing at you.
"He's always right there behind us, looking at our mistakes, and as soon as we come off he'll make a correction. I'm really impressed with how he's coaching us."
Chavis, 61, showed his fired-up side at his introductory news conference when asked in a roundabout way whether he was nearing the end of his effective years.
"It's still burning inside," Chavis said in January. "I don't want to make this about me, but I know I can coach. I know I can recruit. I know I can motivate. I know I can develop players. And I know that's what we're going to do."
First-year Coach Chad Morris is counting on Chavis to motivate and develop a unit that has struggled much of the past two years with injuries stacked upon a thin depth chart and a struggle to contain running games.
The Razorbacks ranked 13th among 14 SEC teams in total defense last season, allowing 438.2 yards per game -- 12th against the pass and 11th against the run.
Chavis does inherit some talent that should play into his style. The nucleus includes a pair of returning starters at linebacker in Harris and Fayetteville's Dre Greenlaw; the return of top cornerback Ryan Pulley from injury to pair with youngsters Kamren Curl and Chevin Calloway; another veteran in safety Santos Ramirez and possibly nickel back Kevin Richardson; and returning starters on the line in McTelvin Agim, T.J. Smith and Randy Ramsey, who played outside linebacker last season.
Pulley said he's detected a different feel in two practice days under Morris.
"The energy level," he said. "I think both sides of the ball are happy. Everybody is happy with the roles they're playing.
"We were moving fast last year, but not at this pace right now. That was an eye opener, the pace of practice."
Morris has described the style of defense he wants as "aggressive and attacking," so Chavis will have to identify more impact pass rushers in the coming months.
He spoke about modern defenses at his news conference in January.
"Part of the philosophy of coaching is when you start game-planning you look at all the problems that an offense is giving you," Chavis said. "And a lot of times you get so carried away with the problems that they're giving you, that you don't realize the things you can do to give them problems.
"We're going to make sure for every problem that they give us that we're going to give them a problem to deal with, too. When we get our guys where they understand what we do and how we do it, then certainly scheme-wise we can give you a lot of problems.
"And when we put great players in those schemes, we can give you even more problems. And that's what we intend to do."
Sports on 03/06/2018