Spring surge forces coaches to get Wise

Arkansas defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. (48) runs drills during practice Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Fayetteville.
Arkansas defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. (48) runs drills during practice Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema pulled defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. halfway through the Razorbacks' longest scrimmage of the spring two weeks ago.

Bielema yanked Wise again during last Saturday's scrimmage work.

Deatrich Wise glance

POSITION Strong-side end

CLASS Redshirt senior

HT./WT. 6-5, 280

BIRTHDATE July 26, 1994 (21)

HIGH SCHOOL Carrollton (Texas) Hebron

NOTEWORTHY Tied for sixth in the SEC with 8 sacks in 2015. All his sacks came against SEC opponents, including seven in the final four games. … Had 4½ sacks vs. ranked opponents, which tied for sixth nationally. … Played in two games as a true freshman in 2012 before being lost for the season with an injury. … Had 17 tackles and 2 sacks while playing in all 12 games of 2013. … Posted 13 tackles and 2 sacks in 2014. … Ranked as the No. 30 defensive end in the country as a high school senior by 247Sports.com, the No. 31 player as his position by Scout.com and No. 38 by Rivals.com. … Also had scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arizona, Purdue and Wake Forest. His father, Deatrich, was taken in the 9th round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks and also spent time with the New Orleans Saints and the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League.

Neither denial of playing time was a knock on Wise. In the first instance, Bielema said he felt Wise and senior linebacker Brooks Ellis had earned a break by proving themselves on and off the field. The second pull was simply to help the Razorbacks' offense function.

"Yeah, I just had to take him out of there today," Bielema said on Saturday. "He's so disruptive. I wanted to get some type of rhythm going."

No matter who Wise has been paired against this spring -- and it has typically been senior right tackle Dan Skipper -- the senior from Carrollton, Texas, has managed to twist, spin or power his way into the backfield on a regular basis.

Wise was credited with 2½ sacks, a quarterback pressure and two other tackles for loss in his limited stint in the last scrimmage.

"He's built his body up, built his mentality up and he finally jumped out of that adolescent period into adulthood," Bielema said.

A switch went off for Wise, 6-5, 280, in the final third of the 2015 season.

Wise had a sack in Arkansas' 53-52 overtime victory at No. 18 Ole Miss, added 2½ more in a 31-14 victory at LSU the following week, then posted 31/3 in the final two games, including 2 in the Razorbacks' 28-3 victory over Missouri on the day after Thanksgiving.

"I just buckled down, pretty much," Wise said. "I was doing the little things right, went back and watched some more film. I was fine-tuning everything."

Wise carried that momentum into the winter, when he took on a more vocal leadership role, and the spring.

"I've been working really hard to be the best player on the field," Wise said.

"I know this," Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "He's playing the best football he's played certainly in my time. If he stays on that path, good things will certainly happen for him."

Wise was targeted for a starting job heading into his sophomore season in 2014, but he suffered a knee injury in fall camp that put a wrench into his season. When asked what was holding Wise back during the spring and fall of 2015, Bielema questioned whether off-the-field pursuits were pulling him in too many directions.

Everything fell into place in the latter half of 2015, and Wise is now shaping up to be a top playmaker this fall.

"Deatrich's an animal," junior end Karl Roesler said. "He always has been, but he's even more so now."

"The biggest thing with Deatrich, first off he's healthy," defensive line coach Rory Segrest said. "He's had some injuries in the past couple of years that slowed him down a little bit, but he's also playing with some confidence.

"The end of the season last year he started making plays and understanding the defense and how he fits into the big picture of the defense."

Smith said Wise and fellow senior JaMichael Winston make a great 1-2 punch at the Hogs' strong end spot.

"It takes some toughness in there and you've got to do a good job with great run defense at that position," Smith said.

"I really think he's got all his ducks in a row for something special," Bielema said.

Sports on 04/19/2016

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