FAYETTEVILLE -- Dre Greenlaw figures to be a busy man for the Fayetteville football team this fall. From punt returns to cameo appearances with the offense, Greenlaw is set to have a full plate of duties during his senior season. But for one tabbed 'Big Play Dre' after his numerous special team and interception touchdown returns helped Fayetteville in many ways last year, it's still mostly about Greenlaw's play in the secondary.
And this year, that Fayetteville secondary with Greenlaw leading the way is looking to be one of the biggest strengths on the Bulldogs' entire team.
At A Glance:
Fayetteville Secondary
Biggest Strength: Experience and depth. … All-state safety Dre Greenlaw leads a group that returns the bulk of its starters from a year ago. Cornerbacks Kennedy Wade and Colby Sigears also are back and safety Miles Taliaferro is one of Fayetteville’s hardest hitters on defense.
Biggest Question Mark: Weak safety. .. Really the only question among the secondary is who will start at this one position. The battle continues between senior Garrett Weuhler and sophomore Andrew Ellis.
Watch Out For: Sophomore Andrew Ellis. … Brother of Arkansas sophomore linebacker and former Bulldog Brooks Ellis. Expected to compete for a starting spot right away.
“I love being (the leader). Everybody looks up to you and I just take it all in, and I just love it.” — Senior safety Dre Greenlaw
"I think we're pretty experienced for the most part and we're pretty good back there (in the secondary)," Greenlaw said. "Some of the younger guys are older now, they've become smarter and since they played as sophomores they understand the speed of the game and all that."
Greenlaw (6-foot-1, 220 pounds), an Arkansas State commit, mans the free safety position in Fayetteville's nickel defense. Senior Miles Taliaferro (5-11, 190) returns at strong safety and earned all-conference honors last fall. At cornerback, juniors Kennedy Wade (6-2, 180) and Colby Sigears (5-6, 150) were both forced to grow up in a hurry as a sophomores. But that playing time a year ago is sure to pay off for the Purple'Dogs this season.
"We're very excited about our secondary," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "You've got Dre back there, returning as an all-state and Division-I player. And then you've got the cornerbacks who are returning starters and they've really grown up.
"And at strong safety Miles Taliaferro is a three-year letterman, with another talented kid, Luke Waller, backing him up."
Fayetteville still has one secondary position to sort out, as senior Garrett Wuehler (5-10, 175) and sophomore Andrew Ellis (5-11, 175) are battling for the starting nod at weak safety. But either way, the Bulldogs feel confident with the depth there and at all defensive back positions.
"We feel like in the big scheme of things, we really have 10 kids who can play in those five positions," Patton said. "So we feel really good about our secondary."
Greenlaw said the secondary, while a big strength, is just one part of a very good Fayetteville defense. "Our front six, our defensive line and our linebackers are just unbelievable," Greenlaw said. "We've got a complete defense and it's going to be a big part of our game."
Sports on 08/18/2014