Hogs' Linebackers After Friday Practice
Arkansas Razorbacks linebackers Jordan Crook, Chris "Pooh" Paul and Jaheim Thomas on what new coach Travis Williams looking for with new attitude for entire defense.
Transcript
00:00 your position coach and I just want to get y'all thoughts on working with Travis.
00:04 You know what's that like?
00:04 Oh coach T. Will you know he's a high energetic guy.
00:08 He brings it into the room like he said previously and just working with him like
00:12 he wants the best out of us and he demands it out of us and that's what we want to give to him.
00:16 And as a defense you know he's just a great guy overall outside of football.
00:20 You know he talks he's big on family and he's big on his faith like he said.
00:24 He's just really you know just a great guy overall just somebody that you want to you know
00:28 look up to as a role model.
00:30 I think that being a kid that hasn't you know the linebacker coach in DC you know
00:35 he wanted to be out in that play so I feel like you know with me being a linebacker coach
00:41 that obviously you know he's gonna help us out he's gonna give us information.
00:44 He has a lot of plays and you know just outside of football like he said
00:48 he's a family man you know so he's good for this program.
00:52 Great coach.
00:52 You know you know he's gonna do it.
00:55 I know he's gonna do this.
00:56 He's gonna do it.
00:58 He brings a lot of energy you know he's always like a smile on his face.
01:02 Always welcoming to the room with great energy so to have him like
01:05 the defensive coordinator and the linebacker coach I feel like that brings a lot of
01:09 a lot of energy so I do think a lot of his talent.
01:11 You also you played here in the opener last year.
01:14 What do you remember about the day and maybe what attracted you to actually come here?
01:18 Well it was a great atmosphere.
01:20 It was a big crowd you know.
01:22 It was good ball also.
01:24 Being able to play in that atmosphere I feel like and playing I feel like attracted me.
01:29 Oh you played with the play up and now with who being out for a little while
01:35 playing with the ones a good bit what have you maybe picked up during that time?
01:38 You know just coming off the ball game.
01:41 Starting with the infield conference and boosters you know and the infield conference
01:46 and boosters coming into this spring and summer you know I just try to put me in a good position.
01:51 You know and I just honestly been taking every opportunity every day and just
01:55 coming and approaching you know trying to approach it like a pro.
01:59 Like my coach was telling me to do.
02:01 You know to not give up any opportunity and just have fun and control like a pro and thank you.
02:07 How are they coming along?
02:24 Those guys have been doing a great job just picking up on the schemes and things of that
02:29 nature but the thing that I like about them is that you know nothing really set them back.
02:33 You know as a freshman you come in you know people are timid things of that nature.
02:37 They don't really know how you know they trying to translate from high school to college.
02:41 But the thing that I like especially like with Brad Spence and like Carson Dean and guys like that
02:45 is that those guys it didn't take no time for them to like translate over.
02:50 You know like Brad Spence he's a you know big dude kind of big dude you know but
02:54 sound like about him with his physicality and the way that he gets to the ball.
02:57 Like he has like you know just that that means to get to the ball and things like that.
03:02 But those guys you know that nature they gonna provide depth to it but it's also
03:06 helpful for the team and things like that because they know this is what's real.
03:09 Kind of the leadership because you know just talk about that leadership.
03:17 You know with me being a sophomore it's kind of me but you know it's kind of just a role I took
03:27 on but you know I enjoy it when I look up to me in a way even though I'm a young guy.
03:31 So it's kind of weird but you know as far as the young guys go like those guys have been sponges.
03:37 You know all I can do is just you know say tell them what I went through last year and you know
03:42 it's basically the ins and outs of it and you know saying just how to enjoy this and you know
03:48 approach it every day and I can you know never look like that.
03:51 So as far as those guys go the young guy they've been very attentive you know and he's been
03:57 really being a leader to them and you know as far as Greer like the thing about Greer
04:02 like he came in and like you know Greer earlier than all of us but you know like he didn't come
04:07 here like try to step on no toes like we all just you know came in together and it's like
04:11 it's been just like a collaboration like not so much a competition but you know everybody
04:16 working together it's just been fun. Everybody getting you know soaking up game from each other
04:20 and I think that's just been it's made us closer overall.
04:24 Yeah the thing about that is like even though they're really young but we still had experience
04:29 from last year things like that you know we were just trying to bring it in and things like that
04:32 so we know how to correlate like can be adversaries or things like that we know what coach
04:37 didn't really like you know what coach he really liked and things like that so just just applying
04:42 those things every day and like Cooke said those guys have been fun and they've made it easier for
04:46 me. It's been easier for both of us.
04:49 With the scrimmage last Saturday some injuries and stuff it made
04:53 good opportunity to put a lot on you and see how you perform. What was the takeaways kind of after
04:57 watching the film on how you performed in the scrimmage and what do you think about it?
05:02 Well I say so I really haven't played since my since our my December December game with
05:07 Cincinnati so just really being out there get to getting back to the field for the game and you
05:11 know I feel like once it kicked in I was able to like make plays and be with my teammates and have
05:16 a good defensive game going out to the scrimmage so that really like helped me. I feel like it
05:22 helped my confidence also that's coming back into coming back into the game.
05:25 Talk a little bit about you know coming down here before but how did it work out when you
05:32 entered the portal with Arkansas reaching out to you what was that first interaction like and
05:37 ultimately what what sealed it for you?
05:39 Well really it's being around coach coach T. Will getting down here being around the
05:44 defensive staff and just seeing how they how they roll and how they operate and just knowing this
05:48 game that I'm playing and knowing the energy that they bring that's something I really like
05:52 sealed a deal for me unlike a lot of other schools so just being around that.
05:56 What's the first the first reach out first contact and reaction?
06:00 For coach T. Will.
06:01 Yeah but what did he say like what was the you remember like what was like the first thing that
06:06 he said he wanted from the coach?
06:08 Because he always he always calls us big dogs so he was just excited.
06:12 You know just excited excited to get on the phone with me and get to know me.
06:17 For any of y'all coach Williams was in here earlier talking about how he wants to take it
06:23 more often like what are what are the coaches doing to or saying to you all to instill that
06:29 kind of soft muscle?
06:30 Well sure it's really like you know T. Will likes to start bad he don't like to you know
06:38 coaches just sit back and they they throw the first punch.
06:41 No we go out there we go out to them and things like that we want to welcome any type of
06:45 physicality or speed anything we want to welcome all that to us.
06:48 The things of that nature so just start fast that's really you know just the bottom line
06:52 that we would do.
06:53 Stay on top of our game and just you know plan a race to that deal.
06:57 I think it's an aggressive type of play style you know you get out there and create things.
07:03 Piggybacking off that I mean what's I think is there added emphasis in
07:11 positional drills and fall camp on you know what's saying stuff that the linebacker this
07:15 year just giving maybe the more aggressive schemes?
07:18 Definitely just playing loose like don't like he always tell us you know be a ball player
07:23 don't don't be a robot things like that you know just just having that they kill it with
07:27 some you know just going out there and just going out there playing all playing the football
07:31 and I've ran a football with confidence and forward.
07:33 Just holding everybody accountable I think that's the biggest thing you know I think that
07:39 you know when you hold everybody accountable like you know you're gonna get results and
07:44 I feel like with him he's gonna manage it every day so you know with him demanding it
07:48 every day like I feel like he's doing you know so I'm managing it better overall like that.
07:52 Guys really for any of you um Landon told us immediately that coach uh Williams was
07:58 playing with DJing in the locker room what have you guys seen on that and and what yeah
08:02 you guys are already laughing so I'll just let you guys talk about that.
08:06 Every league we're gonna come in to some music like no matter what it is like be some gospel
08:10 some rap anything but we're gonna come in to some music like you want it high energy
08:15 like high level like just everybody like I don't know just a big party you know ready
08:20 to like have fun and play football it don't get no better.
08:24 And the thing that I like about that is you know you just bring it like there's nothing
08:28 wrong with having fun with what you're doing and things like that you know just coming
08:31 in and you seeing guys you know hype for practice and you playing songs and he's up there hype
08:35 and things like that it just gives me more confidence like going out there knowing like
08:38 okay it's okay mess up on this one but mess up full speed in the next one you know you
08:43 don't talk to yourself and things like that like there's nothing wrong with having fun
08:45 with what you're doing because if you're not having fun you're not gonna do it.
08:48 I feel like him him having blast the music always and having an energy welcome listen
08:53 to the me and Rome I feel like that just gets us ready to practice and getting us all hyped
08:58 you know having that energy to go to practice so.
09:02 Jim coach Travis said it to really detail take a lot of notes and fears that you always
09:08 going at it they can pick that up you know some more kind of along your your playing
09:13 career and what kind of was this you think you rank this one.
09:16 Well I have always took a lot of notes but I I feel like I picked it up coming here because
09:22 I've transferred at me so I had to learn a defense a whole lot quicker I had to get
09:26 accustomed to everything a whole lot quicker so just being able to take notes on both positions
09:30 I feel like that that has helped me and also studying a lot watching a whole lot of film
09:34 that has also helped me a lot and skills that I feel like I bring to the room is
09:38 well also always running to the ball always being able to do a lot of different things
09:44 you know like a versatile linebacker be able to come out the edge and playing a box and
09:48 covers so that's definitely like I'm bringing into the room.
09:50 Yeah let's maybe an off the hook question but when we're my dad before he played
09:56 basketball since the night he transferred here and a lot of times athletes in different
10:00 sports can meet together without each other working out just wondering do you know Jeremiah
10:04 at all?
10:04 Yeah I know him I've been knowing him since high school we grew up around each other so
10:09 yeah he played basketball I also played basketball with him so.
10:12 You guys played like high school ball against each other?
10:15 Yeah yeah we definitely did.
10:17 What do you think about Jeremiah being a good person?
10:22 He's a great athlete so like I said I've been knowing him for a long time so just
10:27 having a familiar face while he entered the portal with me so that helps me a lot.
10:32 Worst song Coach Williams has had on the locker room?
10:37 I don't think he done had a bad song.
10:42 Eric's talking about him being like he playing some weak.
10:47 No matter what he's playing we all weak.
10:50 You know I ain't been just seen like a bad song.
10:57 He ain't had no misses yet.
10:58 He is.
11:00 Yeah.
11:00 Yeah.
11:01 Yeah.
11:01 As we get into the season we start to hear new songs.
11:05 - I'm gonna start with him. - He's not playing the ball like that. He's not playing the game, but he wants to.