Razorbacks' Secondary Re-Building Totally with New Attitude

Coaches bringing defensive backs together to improve communication, improve results

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Aug 16, 2023 4:40 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Yeah, last year was bad in the defensive secondary so now that we've covered that about as completely as needed, this year has new faces and new coaches. The hope is that translates to the bottom line.

"I never look back to last year," co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Marcus Woodson said Wednesday morning. "At the end of the day, it’s about today and moving forward, not yesterday. What I do is go back and look at what are the things we did good, or fairly good, and what’s the biggest areas of improvement. Whatever those areas of improvement are, that’s what we’re going to emphasize.

"Coming here to Arkansas, I felt watching film and just getting some history of what went on last year, the first thing was just coming together as a group. It was the same way at Florida State. I tell the guys all the time, if you want to go far, go together. If you want to get there fast, go by yourself. But it’s a long journey and we want to go far, so we’re going to go together. It’s a brotherhood, and it’s amazing how much you can accomplish just by bringing guys together. I’m excited about the chemistry in the room and where we’re going. They know it’s going to be a collective deal for us to be successful. It’s a 'we' and 'us' mindset and not an I and me."

They are doing it with communications, which fellow secondary coach Deron Wilson said earlier in the week. When they do that off the field, it helps what they do on the field. Everyone hopes combining that with some pressure from the defensive front translates to wins.

"One issue that you see around the country, not specifically last year here but around the country, is if you have issues within the pass game, busted coverages, it’s because of communication. That’s the reason we do the things that we do, myself andcCoach Woodson, having guys together, and they’re hearing both voices. Now, communication is not an issue."

We probably won't find out for a couple of weeks into the season. The Razorbacks open the season Sept. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Western Carolina at 3 p.m. There is no network broadcast available of the game that is only available on ESPN+.