HOG FUTURES DEATRICH WISE

Hogs fans in for treat, says Wise's ex-coach

Ex-coach: Hogs fans in for treat

In his senior season at Carrollton (Texas) Hebron, Deatrich Wise (55) recorded 113 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 quarterback hurries and blocked a field goal. Since his arrival in Fayetteville last month, Wise has added 10-15 pounds to his 6-foot, 6-inch frame.
In his senior season at Carrollton (Texas) Hebron, Deatrich Wise (55) recorded 113 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 quarterback hurries and blocked a field goal. Since his arrival in Fayetteville last month, Wise has added 10-15 pounds to his 6-foot, 6-inch frame.

— The 14th in a series profiling new additions to the Arkansas football team.

Deatrich Wise Jr. might be one of the most impressive looking defensive ends Arkansas has signed in years, but he is nowhere near a finished product.

Wise is already 6-6, 250 pounds, but Eric Mach, his former defensive coordinator at Carrollton (Texas) Hebron, said he believes Wise will be even bigger before he is through at Arkansas.

“He’s not even close to being done growing,” Mach said. “I don’t remember what size shoe he wore, but I think it’s a size 18. God only knows what he’s going to look like in two years.”

Wise reported to Fayetteville on June 5, the day after he graduated high school, and he has added 10-15 pounds since his arrival.

It’s helped that Wise comes from a football background. His father was a defensive lineman at Jackson State before being taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played four seasons in the NFL and CFL.

Wise recorded 113 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 quarterback hurries and blocked a field goal last season as a senior at Hebron. While Mach could rave about Wise’s accomplishments on the field, he said he is more impressed with the character he has shown away from it.

“He’s going to have the whole state of Arkansas loving him in a very short time,” Mach said. “He’s the type of kid, as a father, you would want your daughter to bring home.”

Wise said his father’s knowledge of the game helped his development.

“It’s benefited me a lot, because since my dad has been at the higher levels, he’s taught me what or what not to do,” said Wise, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.82 seconds. “He’s taught me how to progress in football and on and off the field, the little things that other people may not know.”

Mach described Wise as a disciplined defender, but his athletic abilities also allow him to help out others.

“He wouldn’t try to do too much that was outside of what he was coached to do,” Mach said. “But certain special players find a way to make plays above and beyond what you ask them to do.”

Wise’s work ethic is topnotch as well. He said he normally wakes up at 5 a.m. and sometimes as early as 4 a.m.

“It’s habit,” Wise said. “I wake up early all the time.”

Wise chose the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Arizona, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Wake Forest and others. His father said he felt good about Arkansas’ hiring of John L. Smith after the firing of Bobby Petrino.

“He was the first guy to recruit Deatrich, and he really sold us when he came up,” Wise Sr. said of Smith. “He’s a great, stand-up guy. He has the pedigree. He’s been in Division I football for quite some time now.”

Wise said he wants to make a name for himself early at Arkansas.

“I’m going to come in and work hard,” he said. “My goal is to try and play as a freshman as much as needed so I can show myself as a player for the following year.”

Mach said Wise will be missed at Carrollton.

“We have a big high school, 2,800 kids,” Mach said. “There’s not a kid or teacher in school that doesn’t know and love Deatrich. One of things I remember, every morning, he would walk down the main hallway high-fiving and fist-bumping every single person he saw with that earto-ear smile.

“You just love him. But when it comes game time, the other team isn’t going love him. They’re going to hate him.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 07/25/2012

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