Hog Calls

Beliema willing to give guys a chance

Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams runs drills during practice Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams runs drills during practice Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Give a head football coach a year or two to get entrenched and sometimes a pattern develops of "my guys" and "their guys."

"My guys" are the ones he and his staff recruited.

"Their guys," with exceptions of any stars of course, are the leftovers remained from the previous regime.

To Bret Bielema's credit, six practices into his third year of spring drills, all the guys always have seemed like his guys.

A few that would-be-called "his guys," have been sent packing or are in current limbo while some dating back to preceding coaches Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith are flourishing.

Those counted upon from Bielema's first season in 2013, like running back Jonathan Williams and quarterback Brandon Allen, are flourishing.

Most impressive, though, Bielema has stuck with and even created places for some whose careers seemed to go nowhere before him and still not much of anywhere after his first year.

Undersized defensive lineman Taiwan Johnson was last year's best example. Johnson, signed by Petrino in 2012 and redshirted by Smith, remained mostly scout team in 2013. He played just three games mopping up.

But on a hunch, Bielema saw to it that Johnson would be promoted from third-team 5-technique tackle to first-team nose tackle. Johnson flourished. He starting every game making eight of 26 tackles behind the line totaling minus 45 yards and recovered two fumbles.

Thoughts of Johnson, now starting at his original tackle position, resurfaced during Saturday's scrimmage with the emergence of Eric Hawkins.

Hawkins, the Petrino signed fourth-year junior receiver-kick returner, had contributed more to Chris Bucknam's Razorbacks track program as a sprinter than as spare part for Bielema.

But Hawkins shined on Saturday, catching 3 passes for 108 yards from backup quarterback Austin Allen including a 63-yard touchdown.

Unlike Petrino era dual-sports athletes who reported to track while still participating in ongoing offseason football workout regimes, Bucknam and Razorbacks sprints coach Doug Case said when Hawkins ran outdoor track last spring, which he will again once spring ball ends, he ran it with Bielema's blessing no football strings attached.

Speed is Hawkins' best asset and football confidence has seemed what he lacked. So why not continue honing what makes Hawkins Bielema's fastest raw speed threat and hope that track success carries over to football?

During Saturday's scrimmage at least, it did.

"In this day and age when you don't play as a freshman or sophomore, everybody is like, 'Well, what's wrong?' " Bielema said. "You know Hawk ran track and Hawk has had kind of a steady growth since last spring," He is serious. He is engaged. We knew he could run."

Saturday Hawkins not only ran but caught and kept on running.

"He caught the ball well," Bielema said. "We obviously need players to step up at that position so I couldn't be happier for him."

Hawkins remains a Bielema guy even shared with track.

Sports on 04/06/2015

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