Bret Bielema didn’t need an introduction from Bo Mattingly at the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club on Tuesday. There were clips from the Being Bret Bielema reality television show that did it all.
There was the Arkansas football coach with the T-shirt to match strolling into a Walmart with a shopping cart. The little lady going down the produce aisle stopped dead in her tracks. She finally blurted out, “Do I know you?”
It was clear that he was someone. There were three men following him, including two with TV cameras. That’s a little different for someone picking through the tomatoes.
Bielema talks to everyone anywhere. He makes friends because he’s going to engage. There was hilarity in this moment, though. The big man didn’t reveal himself to his fellow shopper.
“I’m just a famous shopper,” he said. “She didn’t catch on. Maybe she will tonight when she sees herself.”
That was at lunch at Mermaids as the full house at the TD club roared. The third episode of the show was to play later that night on ESPNU. One of the highlights will be time at the home of Bielema’s parents in Prophetstown, Ill.
Earlier, Bielema told folks at his table about his dad’s detail in providing direction. He thinks GPS may not find them. Arnie Bielema called Mattingly when they landed at the airport and gave turn by turn to the home.
“My dad said he looked it up on Google and it was wrong,” Bielema said. “It’s hilarious. First time he drove to Fayetteville, he asked how far it was to Kansas City. I told him four hours. He said, ‘No, I mean miles.’ We got into a discussion that driving time is more important than miles.”
We are starting to get real glimpses of Bielema. He provided a few more inside looks of his fourth team for the TD group. Bielema has real friends in the media. He’s not afraid to phone or text them if he thinks they need to be called out. He explained he was watching the SEC Network as anchor Dari Nowkhah predicted LSU would beat Arkansas this year.
“I see something, I’ll fire a text back,” Bielema said. “They had us 9-3 on the SEC Network, but Dari had us losing to LSU — at home. We’ve beat them two years in a row, what are you doing, sniffing glue? He got immediate feedback. It was pretty clear he was looking at his phone while he was doing TV.”
Bielema has gotten great feedback from the Being Bret Bielema series. Recruits have watched all of it.
“We had a social 30 minutes last night with my coaches, texting 20 recruits, 10 who are committed, 10 at the top of our board,” he said. “We had 16 fire back and they were wanting to know when the next show would be aired.
“It’s hilarious to me, but it shows that it has unbelievable value. I’ve had a coach from another conference text me saying he and his wife were watching. They are fans of the show.”
The TV cameras are not following him now. As he said Tuesday, “It’s time for reality football.”
What will it be like? Bielema told the group there is great quality in his senior and freshmen classes. He detailed the newcomers likely to play. There was one more to the list than in previous meetings with the media. Tight end Grayson Gunter (6-6, 245 pounds) has jumped up to “fourth or fifth” on the depth chart.
That may not sound like a level that would be on the field, but Bielema plays at least that many tight ends. Gunter hails from Madison, Miss., and spurned attention from Ole Miss and Mississippi State to play in an offense that features tight ends.
There were hints that running back TJ Hammonds is going to play as soon as he’s full speed. Hammonds underwent knee surgery for a meniscus tear two weeks ago. He’s running in the pool and could play by the TCU game.
“He’s in the plans as a return guy, punts and kickoffs,” Bielema said. “He could play at running back and receiver, too. We want to play him.”
There were stories about freshman quarterback Cole Kelley. He’s probably the reason Rafe Peavey exited to SMU. Ty Storey is listed as the backup, but Kelley has dazzled everyone in the football building.
The only issues for the 6-7, 260-pound Kelley could be his south Louisiana accent. It’s heavy.
“You better be listening closely in the huddle,” Bielema said. “It’s not quite Waterboy, but you gotta concentrate. You need to know what conversation is going on.”
The only thing worse is when Hjalte Froholdt, the new starting left guard, cuts loose in Danish when he’s mad. Bielema said there are fewer off plays for Froholdt.
“He’s had 36 practices at left guard,” Bielema said. “He looks like a seasoned veteran.”
If there is a question mark, it would probably be at right tackle. Bielema doesn’t talk in negatives. He praised Colton Jackson’s ability. But there was a hint that others would play there, too. I’d look for a rotation of Jackson along with Jalen Merrick and Brian Wallace. Those three might duke it out.
The reality of the coming reality TV is that Bielema’s fourth Arkansas roster offers competition in a lot of places. If there is just a little bit of a break through at right tackle, that Being Bret Bielema show will be coming back in bigger fashion next summer. The more games you win, the more shows you can tape.
Clay Henry is publisher at Hawgs Illustrated, an Northwest Arkansas Democrat Publication. Email him at [email protected].