The bond Monroe Beard III shares with his fellow first-string University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff linebackers shows on the field, he said.
"Since we all came in together, we kind of had a tight bond and it's been straight work from there," Beard said. "[Isaac] Peppers and [Timon] Atkins, guys who have been here, have been like my best friends."
In the Golden Lions' 4-3-4 defense, neither linebacker is set to an outside or inside position, but offenses know they will be out there.
Peppers, of Greenville, Miss., shared second-team All-SWAC honors with teammate Kolby Watts following the spring 2021 season, when the Lions reached the conference championship game. But Chattanooga, Tenn.'s Beard emerged as the team leader in tackles last fall with 78 (44 solo) and sacks with 5 for a total loss of 44 yards. Watts, now a graduate, was second with 57 tackles, followed by Marion's Akins with 56.
The play of juniors Beard and Akins and the return of Peppers for his senior year help the Lions deal with the void left behind by the hard-hitting Watts. Plus, Beard begins the 2022 season as a preseason All-SWAC first-team selection.
"I'm not surprised, but I'm focused on one thing, and that's getting a championship to Pine Bluff," he said. "It's never about the accolades."
Linebackers coach Jake Bahr is one of three new hires on the Lions' defense. The former University of Connecticut assistant has been blessed with experience across his first-string trio.
"Akins has been a leader so far, which has been fun to see," Bahr said. "He took on that leadership role, and this fall he came back from a little bit of a calf injury and now he's been really good for us. He, Monroe and Isaac have been really good over there."
Beard and Peppers are "athletic dudes" who like to "run and hit," Bahr added.
The three are a huge part of a defense Coach Doc Gamble hopes to shore up after giving up 37.7 points per game last fall -- nearly 10 points more than during spring 2021.
"They're quarterbacks of the defense," Gamble said. "They've got to make tackles. They've got to play pass drops. They've got to do it and do it every single down."
And if they're going to turn things around from a 2-9 record, Beard believes, the entire unit has to make a statement every game.
"Coach [and defensive co-coordinator Thomas] Sims and the rest of the coaches give us a great platform," Beard said. "We take a lot of great notes, watch a lot of film to make sure everybody is comfortable. The faster we get information, the faster we get information down to the young guys, they get up to speed and everybody gets on one string."
Evans added to national watch list
UAPB offensive lineman Mark Evans II was named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame Player of the Year watch list, the university announced Tuesday.
The senior from Houston has already garnered All-America billing during the preseason from Stats Perform (third team) and the radio show "From the Press Box to Press Row" (first team), as well as three All-America nods from the show. Evans is also a three-time first-team All-SWAC performer, top-10 HBCU player as rated by Pro Football Network and a member of the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 list.
Four finalists for the Black College Hall of Fame award will be unveiled after this season. The winner will be announced during halftime of the HBCU Legacy Bowl and receive the Deacon Jones Trophy on Feb. 25, 2023, in New Orleans.
Fan Fest and Media Day
Fans of all Golden and Lady Lions sports are invited to a Fan Fest and Media Day starting at noon Saturday at Simmons Bank Field at Golden Lion Stadium.
Fans can interact with student-athletes and coaches and hear from Alumni President Kymara Seals and Athletic Director Chris Robinson. Season and single-game tickets will be sold, and sign-ups for the Alumni Chapter and Letter A Club will be held.