LITTLE ROCK — POSITION Defensive coordinator/safeties COACHING EXPERIENCE 13th year on college level, first at Arkansas HOMETOWN Columbus, Ohio EDUCATION St. Francis DeSales High School (1987), Kent State (1992) RECRUITING TERRITORY Florida, Georgia, Ohio COACHING HISTORY Bowling Green; Ferris State; Northern Iowa; Kent State; Jacksonville Jaguars; Louisville, Michigan State; Ohio State FAMILY Wife Denita, daughters Jordyn and Kennedy Rose, son Tarron BIOGRAPHY A walk-on at Kent State who played four seasons and led the Golden Flashes in interceptions as a freshman and in tackles (116) as a sophomore. Career slowed by knee injuries, but wound up with 440 career tackles, the seventh-highest total in school history. Started coaching on the high school level and worked up through the ranks, even reaching the NFL, where he worked as a defensive quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2001) on a staff that included Bobby Petrino. Joined John L. Smith’s staffs at Louisville (2002) and Michigan State (2003-04) before landing with Ohio State the following season. FAVORITE MOVIE I’ve got a couple. The Five Heartbeats is one of them, and then Gladiator.
FAVORITE MEAL T-bone steak or ribeye and scalloped potatoes.
ANY DESSERT? Always. It’s a baked cookie with ice cream on the top, or I would have to say the strawberry cream pie from the Catfish Hole.
BEST SENSE OF HUMOR ON STAFF Kevin Peoples. He’s always clowning around. Something’s going to be coming out of his mouth where you’re going to say, ‘Where did you get that from?’
DEFENDERS WHO WILL SURPRISE THIS FALL I think Trey Flowers. I don’t know if that’s a surprise, but I think Trey Flowers has the ability to be a first-round draft choice. Trey, for sure, and I think Ross Rasner.
FAVORITE ACTOR Denzel Washington. SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN It’s big. It’s very big. My neighborhood was probably about the size of Fayetteville. It’s close to about 2.5 million if you count the suburbs.
SOMETHING YOU MISS ABOUT COLUMBUS Probably all of my kids not being able to go to the same high school I went to.
SOMETHING YOU’VE DISCOVERED ABOUT FAYETTEVILLE The Catfish Hole. And I would say two people: Jimmy Young, who is my car dealer, and Mr. Pat [Gazzola] at the Catfish Hole.
ARKANSAS WAS NO. 47 IN DEFENSE LAST YEAR. CAN YOU BE BETTER AND WHY? We have to be better. Our goal is to be the best in the country, you know. There are certain categories we have to get better at: rushing, scoring. Those two things are very, very important. If you’re good at those things, you have a chance to be successful.
Sports, Pages 23 on 08/11/2012