New UAPB coach sticking with plan

Restoring pride to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football program was one of the primary focal points Alonzo Hampton honed in on when he was hired as the Golden Lions head football coach in December.

On Wednesday, the Warren native took a giant step in doing just that when he signed his first official class.

Hampton received national letters of intent from five on the opening day of the traditional signing period, headlined by a pair of all-state standouts in Magnolia running back Garrion Curry and Forrest City offensive lineman Elijah Hardin.

The five-player haul may appear small on the surface, but that's the exact number that Hampton said he wanted to sign when he spoke during his introductory news conference two weeks ago. And considering the fact he was named as UAPB's next head coach on Dec. 22 -- one day after the NCAA's early signing period officially begin -- the quintet he got was an impressive feat in itself.

"I couldn't even tell you how many days I've been on the job because they all run together," Hampton said. "Things have been going well, honestly. The main part was getting out and recruiting the state, and I did that on purpose. That was my main emphasis, which was to recruit the high school kids in our state and show them the love that they deserve. Obviously, you want to be able to sign about four to five of them, and we were blessed and able to sign four of them from our state.

"We've got one in the bush that hasn't decided what he's going to do yet. I'm really excited about the kids we signed, but if we get that last piece, I think we hit the lottery."

The timing of Hampton's hiring didn't afford him a chance to sign anyone during the early period, and he doesn't have all of his assistant coaches, particularly his coordinators, on campus either.

"That's probably been the hardest part of it," Hampton explained. "I wanted to evaluate the coaches here on staff, be fair to them and give guys a chance. I didn't want to be that guy that just came in and fired everybody because I know how that feels. I've been there.

"But the coaches that I do have here have done a tremendous job holding things down."

Hampton said he hopes to have his coaches in play by next week. Once that happens, he mentioned that it'd give them all an opportunity to focus on the team they have in place before they transition to spring football. Having his staff whole will also allow them to evaluate and potentially sign more players, whether it be through the high school ranks, the junior college route or the transfer portal.

Hampton was pleased with his initial signees. Curry rushed for 2,164 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior while Hardin was the backbone of Forrest City's interior line.

UAPB also signed Nassir Donohoo, an all-conference quarterback who passed for more than 2,000 yards, ran for nearly 1,500 yards and accounted for 51 touchdowns at Quitman, Fayetteville defensive back Deuce Cooper and C.E. King (Texas) linebacker Kam Bizor, a 6-3, 230-pounder who originally committed to Colorado. He also had offers from other schools such as California and Arkansas State University.

"I didn't want to pick all the players," Hampton said. "You want the coordinators to have the guys that fit their system. They may need other players that suit what they're trying to do. I could've done all of that as the head coach, but this is a partnership.

"From the administration all the way down to the janitor. We're all in this together."

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