Bret Bielema is a stickler for details, doesn’t like to praise incoming freshman, can imitate an auctioneer and is a romantic.
That’s just some of what the crowd at the White County Razorback Club learned in the cafeteria at Searcy High School on Monday night.
Bielema didn’t reveal a lot about the start of spring football drills. But the new Arkansas football coach did go through some details about his first anniversary dinner with wife Jen on Sunday night. He was forthcoming with details because she wasn’t in the building, at home in Fayetteville arranging furniture in their new home.
“I had flowers flown in from our wedding and decorated in a private room and was going to surprise her,” Bielema said. “I took her to the restaurant and the first thing that happened, we were greeted at the door with happy anniversary. So we went to the bar first. We got there and the bartender said, ‘Coach, the room in the back with the flowers is beautiful.’ Then, he said, ‘Was it supposed to be a surprise?’ I said, ‘Yeah, until five seconds ago.’”
Bielema is a natural in front of a crowd. He is quick on his feet in the Q&A session and covers questions in detail. He’ll talk a little detail in football, but he understands the composition of a crowd.
Asked about the structure on defense, he said, “It will be a 4-3 with quarters in the back. That’s man principles with some zone. We need to be really sound in the back end. Our kids got that in a nutshell (on Sunday in the first workout). We can’t let anyone over the top. Rohan Gaines and Eric Bennett (at safety) jumped out. They are going to make big jumps in a short time.”
On how to pick a quarterback, the first thing he did was remind the crowd that Tyler Wilson is gone. An autographed print of Wilson was auctioned just ahead of Bielema’s talk. He said it went too slow for him.
“I know how to do an auction,” he said, then broke into the sing-song auctioneer lingo. “I was in pain waiting for that to end. I can end it. You say, SOLD!”
Bielema said there will be intense competition this spring between Brandon Allen and Brandon Mitchell and again in the fall when Austin Allen and Damon “Duwop” Mitchell arrive.
“If it comes down to it, we can have a coin toss,” he said. “I believe in competition. It brings out the best. But if it gets really close, we’ll do the coin toss.”
Bielema said the five junior college transfers have impressed and all should be able to contribute. He is hesitant to mention freshmen, but he did talk about offensive linemen Reeve Koehler, Dan Skipper and Denver Kirkland. And, while mentioning that a pair of walk-ons, Mitchell Loewen and Alex Voelzke, are running one-two at tight end, he noted freshman Hunter Henry will help in the fall. And he reserved special praise for incoming running back Alex Collins.
“I don’t like to talk about freshmen,” he said. “I believe everyone has to earn it when they get here.
But, I have seen Alex Collins run on tape and he’s really good.”
Bielema is trying to get the details right as he works to establish his culture in practice. He had the team “pick up the garbage” after a water break a little over halfway through the first workout.
“They just tossed their water cups onto the ground,” he said. “I called them back and had them pick them up.
“Our trainers and managers don’t have the time to do that. It’s like everything else, there is a right way and a wrong way. You learn the details and do it right the first time. If it’s fourth-and-1, you want to do it right. The great ones do it right.”
Even in regards to throwing away the water cups?
“I’ve never seen a great one throw them on the ground,” Bielema said. “They do it the right way.”
That goes for bringing in the right flowers on anniversary night and the details on how to get out of a snow drift.
“My wife was back in Madison packing,” he said. “She got stuck outside our old house. She called. I told her a shovel would work.”
But he coached her out of the problem.
“She stopped at the bottom of the hill to get the mail,” he said. “I told her that was the problem, she needed a running start into the driveway. I told her to back up and try again. She said it wouldn’t back up. I said to check the parking break.”
As Jen popped the parking break off, she said, “That’s it. You are good.”
And, yes, as the honeymoon continues, Bret Bielema is pretty good.
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Clay Henry is publisher of Hawgs Illustrated, an NWA Media Publication.