HOG FUTURES TIQUENTION COLEMAN

Coleman honed tackling by attacking trees

Arkansas safety Tiquention Coleman, left, runs through drills Saturday, April 13, 2013, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas safety Tiquention Coleman, left, runs through drills Saturday, April 13, 2013, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Fifth in a series profiling newcomers to the Arkansas football team

FAYETTEVILLE - When Arkansas safety Tiquention Coleman talks about “bringing the wood” on defense, it’s more than a figure of speech.

Coleman, a junior transfer from Georgia Military College, used to tackle a tree in the front yard of his family’s home in Greenville, S.C. It was a training method suggested by his stepfather, Kenneth Duck.

“I was 9 or 10 years old playing Pop Warner football, and I told my stepdad I wanted to know how to be able to hit hard,” Coleman said. “He told me, ‘Go get your helmet, your shoulder pads, everything.’

“Then I came back outside to the yard and we talked about me tackling a big oak tree we had. It was so big I couldn’t get my arms around it.”

Coleman said his stepfather didn’t make him hit the tree, just suggested he might give it a try.

“He put the idea in my head, and I got 10 or 15 yards away and then ran full speed and hit it,” Coleman said, laughing at the memory. “I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I like this!’

“It didn’t hurt me, so I kept on doing it a few more times.”

Coleman - who goes by the nickname “TQ” - said the tree survived just fine, and so did he after doing the drill several times for a couple of years.

“I think it really helped my game,” he said. “It just put it in my mind, ‘If I can hit a big tree, I can hit anybody on the football field.’

“I was crushing the kids in my age group. Other parents got mad at my parents and said I was older than what I said, but I was the same age as all the kids. I just liked to hit more.”

Coleman, 5-10 and 198 pounds, brought his physical style of play to Arkansas last spring and will go into fall camp listed at the second-team strong safety behind redshirt sophomore Rohan Gaines. He also figures to contribute on special teams.

“TQ’s spring turned out exactly how I thought it would,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Chris Ash said. “The kid is relentless with his approach to studying the game. He’s constantly in there watching film … kind of wanting to get coached all the time.

“What can he do better? Where is he doing well? When you’ve got a player who goes through that day-to-day routine, you’re going to see improvement throughout the course of spring.

“I think it was a culmination of everything that his spring game was his best practice.”

Coleman had a teamhigh nine tackles in the Red-White game, which had an announced crowd of 51,088. He also intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 49 yards.

“I’d never played in front of 51,000, so the spring game was a big thing for me,” Coleman said. “I think I opened some eyes about production-wise what I can bring to the table for the fall.”

Arkansas linebacker Myke Tavarres, also a junior-college transfer, said Coleman is the first player he’s ever heard of who tackled a tree.

“Honestly, it’s creative, and it’s smart,” Tavarres said. “If I had done that as a kid, maybe I’d be hitting harder now

“I remember the first day in practice we were allowed to hit, he just leveled (tight end) Jeremy Sprinkle. I was like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to see this guy hit in a game against Alabama or LSU.’ He hits with a force. He’s like a pinball out there.”

Being able to enroll at Arkansas in January and go through winter workouts and spring practice while getting acclimated academically,Coleman said, made a big difference compared to arriving on campus in the summer.

“If I hadn’t been able to come in until the summer, it would have been a lot of catching up to do,” Coleman said. “You come in during the spring, you get the installments, get some reps with the boys, you get used to the strength and conditioning program and get in shape.

“Most important, you get in the classroom early and get those academics right.”

Coleman, a communications major, said he had a 3.2 grade point average in the spring semester, which drew a complimentary tweet from Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema.

“That meant a lot to me,” Coleman said. “A lot of people don’t think a guy coming from junior college can do something like that.

“That’s why I came here to play for Coach B, because he’s always reaching out to the players - every single player.”

Coleman was committed to Wisconsin, where Bielema coached the previous seven years before taking the Arkansas job on Dec. 4 - two weeks before the national signing date for junior college transfers.

“I was at home, trying to stay in shape, and someone ran into the weight room and said, ‘Hey, TQ what are you going to do about Coach B leaving Wisconsin?’ ” Coleman said. “I was looking at him like, ’What are you talking about?’ “

Coleman then saw a television report about Bielema becoming Arkansas’ new coach.

“I’m like, ‘Whoa,’ ” Coleman said. “I blew up his phone. I called him at least five times a day for a couple of days, but I didn’t hear back.”

Wisconsin assistant Ben Strickland called Coleman the day Bielema resigned to assure him his scholarship offer with the Badgers remained firm. Two days later, Strickland came to Mauldin, S.C., to visit Strickland and his parents.

Stickland was talking to Coleman’s parents when Coleman noticed an incoming call on his cell phone started with 479 - Fayetteville’s area code. Coleman answered the phone and recognized Bielema’s voice.

“I didn’t say anything, I just went to my room and shut the door,” Coleman said. “Coach B told me, ‘Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, but it’s been crazy.’ He didn’t want to pressure me, but he said I had a spot at Arkansas if I wanted it, and they could set up a visit for me.”

Coleman visited Arkansas, liked what he saw and changed his commitment to the Razorbacks knowing that Ash would be joining Bielema from Wisconsin, along with defensive line coach Charlie Partridge and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.

“One of the main reasons I committed to Wisconsin was the coaching staff,” Coleman said. “So when they came to Arkansas, that really helped me make up my mind to come here.”

Coleman said his improvement throughout spring practice was a confidence boost.

“I have some natural confidence about myself, but coming into a new environment - the SEC - you can’t just jump right in and play at your full potential,” he said. “I felt like I learned tons of things to help my game as far as reading the quarterback’s eyes and movement, getting my stance and backpedals better.

“Coach Ash taught me how to actually watch film so I’d know what I’m messing up on and know how to correct it the right way and cancel out those mistakes at the next practice.”

Coleman’s focus this summer has been improving his speed, which he said is a high 4.5 or low 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

“I’ve been running in the sand a lot with a weight vest on,” he said. “My speed is there, but if I want to be an elite player -and I do - I’ve got to get faster.”

The faster Coleman gets, the harder he should be able to hit, even if it’s been a while since he tackled a tree.

At a glance

CLASS Junior HT/WT 5-10, 198 pounds POSITION Strong safety HOMETOWN Mauldin, S.C.

JUNIOR COLLEGE Georgia Military College NOTEWORTHY Listed at second-team strong safety on the Razorbacks’ post-spring depth charge. ... He had 9 tackles and 1 interception in Arkansas’ Red-White game last spring. ... As a sophomore at Georgia MilitaryCollege, he recorded 44 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 forced fumble. ... Was rated the No. 10 junior college safety nationally by 247Sports.com last season. .. Originally committed to Wisconsin, but signed with Arkansas after Bret Bielema left Wisconsin to become the Razorbacks’ coach.

... Goes by nickname “TQ.”

Sports, Pages 17 on 07/09/2013

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