SPRINGDALE -- Losing one defensive lineman to the SEC is hard enough, but two?
That's the challenge Springdale Har-Ber faces on defense this fall.
Profile
Rickey Dobbins
SCHOOL: Springdale Har-Ber
CLASS: Senior
POSITION: Defensive tackle
HEIGHT: 6-3
WEIGHT: 325
NOTABLE: Made 44 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks as a junior last season. … Has received scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Tulsa and Eastern Illinois. … Transferred to Har-Ber before the start of his junior year from Maumelle, where he mostly played offensive guard.
Har-Ber must find replacements for noseguard Josh Frazier, a top 100 national recruit, and end Jake Hall, who was the top defensive lineman in the 7A/6A Conference. The two combined for 116 tackles and eight of the team's 15 sacks.
Frazier chose Alabama after a lengthy recruiting process, and Hall turned his standout senior season into an offer from Arkansas, which he accepted.
Defensive tackle Rickey Dobbins hopes to follow his former line mates into the college ranks next season. Dobbins had a productive junior season with 44 tackles and 2½ sacks in 12 games. Those statistics should rise sharply this fall for Dobbins, who's received scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Tulsa and Eastern Illinois, where former Razorback Kim Dameron is now the head coach.
Dobbins (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) is pleased to already have scholarship offers entering his senior year, but it doesn't mean he'll slack off during the summer months.
"Even though I have the (scholarship) offers, I'm going to keep working to be a better athlete," Dobbins said.
Dobbins' discipline can be seen in how he's reshaping his body, where he's down to 325 pounds after playing last season at 340 pounds. He's also learning the intricacies of his position rather than simply trying to overpower opponents.
"When we first got Rickey, he was real raw," Har-Ber defensive line coach Travis Moreland said. "He had great physical strength and explosiveness, but he was really raw, technique-wise. We saw his progression with his technique about midway through his junior season. He started to figure things with his hand placement, for example, and it's carried over into spring practice."
Dobbins, who played mostly on the offensive line at Maumelle, credits Moreland and Frazier with his development as a defensive lineman. Frazier said on numerous occasions last year than Dobbins was like a little brother to him.
"Josh helped me so much," Dobbins said. "He introduced me to a different game, the intense part. I'm not an Alabama fan, but I'll definitely be cheering for him during their games."
Dobbins is friendly and laid-back, which can be an attribute outside of football. He'll be asked to provide more leadership this fall on a Har-Ber defense that also lost senior end Michael Kidd.
"Rickey's a quiet guy, but he's going to lead by example," Moreland said. "He's a 'yes, sir, no sir' kid who'll do anything you ask. We expect great things from him."
Sports on 05/20/2014