HOG FUTURES BRISTON GUIDRY

A mix of fun, fury

Guidry’s sense of humor belies intensity

Rummel defenders Briston Guidry (96) and Dwayne Eugene (7) bring down Byrd wide receiver Tysen Hardman (3) for a loss in the third quarter during the Division I state football championship game between Byrd and Archbishop Rummel on Thursday, December 12, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)
Rummel defenders Briston Guidry (96) and Dwayne Eugene (7) bring down Byrd wide receiver Tysen Hardman (3) for a loss in the third quarter during the Division I state football championship game between Byrd and Archbishop Rummel on Thursday, December 12, 2013. (Michael DeMocker, Nola.com / The Times-Picayune)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith, the Razorbacks' ace recruiter in south Louisiana, has a message to pass along to the fans about defensive line signee Briston Guidry.

"When they really get to know Briston, they're just going to be so impressed with his infectious personality," Smith said.

Briston Guidry

at a glance

CLASS Freshman

HT./WT. 6-3, 290

BIRTHDATE Oct. 11, 1996 (19)

POSITION Defensive line

HOMETOWN Kenner, La.

HIGH SCHOOL Archbishop Rummel

NOTEWORTHY First Rummel Raider to be an All-State selection as a sophomore and first three-time All-State pick from the powerful Catholic League of south Louisiana. … Ranked No. 143 in the country by ESPN. … Rated No. 13 defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com. … Ranked as No. 9 player in Louisiana by ESPN and Rivals. … No. 13 on NOLA.com’s Nifty 50 rankings of Louisiana players. … Named to 2015 All-USA Louisiana first team. … Had 76 tackles and 9 sacks as a sophomore on Rummel’s 2013 state championship team. … Committed to Mississippi State in summer of 2014, decommitted in December, and committed to Arkansas on April 11, 2015. … Chose the Razorbacks over offers from Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Louisville, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others.

Guidry's sense of humor, which he says comes from his mother Sandra, was on display during an interview this summer at the Smith Football Center on the Arkansas campus.

As he shook hands with a reporter, Guidry declared, "You're gonna fix up my words, right? Because I'm not trying to sound stupid."

Guidry laughed and gave himself a positive health review just a couple of weeks after undergoing minor surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, a lingering issue from his days as the first three-time All-State player at Archbishop Rummel High School in suburban New Orleans.

"I'm back running and all that, so I'm good," Guidry said. "I don't have any problems with it."

Guidry committed to Mississippi State in the summer of 2015 after Rummel won its second consecutive state championship in 2014, but he decommitted that winter and pledged to the Razorbacks.

Guidry stuck with the Hogs despite fielding scholarship offers from SEC heavyweights Alabama, LSU and many others.

"Besides the coaches, I'd have to say the fan base," Guidry said about his attraction to Arkansas. "The fan base was just wonderful. I love the fans.

"It's the best fan base probably of all the schools that recruited me. The facilities are great. The weight room blew my mind. The coaching staff."

Smith, who is originally from New Orleans, said Guidry mixes ferocity with levity.

"He was one of the funnier guys I've been able to recruit," Smith said. "But when the lights go on and it's time for him to play ball, he's a tremendous football player, and I hope people don't miss out on that. He was a great get for us, and I think he's going to do some great things at Arkansas."

Guidry is part of a heralded group of defensive line signees, joining McTelvin Agim, Austin Capps and Jonathan Marshall. Arkansas coaches envision Guidry as a player in the mold of Darius Philon and Jeremiah Ledbetter in their three technique tackle spot.

"Briston's a very quick-twitch guy," Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "He's quick on the inside, a really good run stopper, but at the same time he can generate a pass rush."

Said Arkansas defensive line coach Rory Segrest, "What you see when you watch him on film is he's explosive and quick and a great athlete inside at tackle. I'm definitely excited about seeing where he is in camp."

Guidry said he played at 305 pounds as a high school senior but he's dropped to 290 this summer and hopes to play at that weight as a freshman.

"I don't give up on plays," he said. "I've got a high motor. Last year I couldn't show it as much because I had to go to summer school and I was a little out of shape. You could see toward the end of the season my high motor kicked back in. I was on every special team."

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said he had a frank discussion with Guidry about whether to try to let the meniscus heal through rest or undergo an operation at a time when he was hoping to make a good first impression on his new teammates early in summer workouts.

"When a kid comes to campus and you're trying to establish a name and an identity, I'm very conscientious about what kids do at the beginning," Bielema said. "We thought about maybe giving him a chance to [let it heal], but we also didn't want him pulling out of drills because it was painful for him."

Guidrydecided to proceed with the clean-up surgery.

"At first I was like, 'Man, I don't want to do this.' I knew I needed to, but I just wanted to go straight into [summer workouts]," Guidry said. "[Bielema] said I could do it now and still be able to participate in fall, so I was like, I have to have it as soon as possible. I got it the next day."

Guidry built a name in the powerful Catholic League of southern Louisiana by earning all-state honors as a sophomore on the Raiders' Class 5A state championship team. He also played on the state championship team of 2013 as a freshman, along with current Arkansas defenders Henre' Toliver and Dwayne Eugene.

Smith said Rummel Coach Jay Roth told him to keep an eye out for the young Guidry when he was in south Louisiana recruiting Eugene and Toliver a couple of years ago.

"Obviously we did that and it was a good deal, and once we got him to decommit from Mississippi State he stayed true," Smith said.

"As soon as he became a starting defensive lineman for us he was just very disruptive," Roth said. "He was unselfish because he played inside for us when he was just as good on the outside. He loved to rush the quarterback.

"He can cover the whole field. He can run. I mean, he came to Rummel as a basketball player, so we knew he was athletic."

Guidry's prowess on special teams has also been noteworthy.

"There were times when he was covering kicks that I mean people were actually scared," Roth said. "He would literally put people out of the game covering kicks. You've got a guy 6-3, 275 covering kickoffs and you really didn't want to get in his way. That was very impressive."

Guidry said the success Toliver had as a freshman starter at nickel back for the Razorbacks in 2014 was one of his reasons for picking Arkansas.

"It felt like it was home," Guidry said. "I felt love from the players and everything. Other schools, there's a lot of players where there's animosity, like they're worried about themselves. The older players here don't have that.

"They care about the young guys and the future of this program. It was just the love the players, the coaching staff and everybody had."

Guidry said he wants to make a strong impression during his freshman season.

"I want to show the coaches they can trust me out there, and the players too," he said. "Just getting a few snaps under my belt and just to help out the team. Anything I can do."

Sports on 07/24/2016

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