Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

It’s late in the fourth quarter and Arkansas is up six points with the ball. All that is between the Razorbacks and victory is protecting 30 yards against the best collection of Steve Spurrier’s Fun N’ Gun talent from Florida. Of all Arkansas’ SEC players, who do you most trust to get to the quarterback? Which linebacker gets to the gap the quickest to make the tackle? Which player would guarantee the hardest hit and had the best chance of forcing a fumble?

Our choices came from gut-feeling answers to questions like these.

We don’t take NFL accomplishments into account. Here, it’s all about ability at the college level. Of course, stats matter, but they don’t always tell the whole story.

Context matters, too. Did the player tend to rise against cupcakes but shrink against elite foes? Also important: did he play a large role in the program’s rise in national reputation?

In the end, our definition boils down to determining which candidate had the greatest ability to either 1) move a football forward or 2) keep the football from moving forward. No matter how many gaudy stats one candidate puts up, someone else may simply be “better.” (For instance, despite NBA star Karl Malone’s gaudy stats in the 1990s, most people knew deep down Charles Barkley was the better individual player, as Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum writes in his Dream Team book.)

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER, 1992-2011

Kenoy Kennedy
Has there been a more feared hitter to suit up for Arkansas in the SEC era? Ever?

Kennedy wasn’t just a ferocious hitter. His all-around excellence — durability, timing, smarts, leadership — had more significance on a national scale than similarly capable UA defenders in less successful eras. This helps explain why he’s Arkansas’ only All-American defender as chosen by the Associated Press in the last 20 years (1999 third team selection).

Much of the 1990s were a desert for the SEC Razorbacks. An oasis was found with the success of the decade’s last two seasons, during which Arkansas finally mattered within the larger national conversation. Kennedy played a big part in the program becoming more than an also-ran in the league.
 
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE
Candidates: Geno Bell (nose guard), Malcolm Sheppard, Junior Soli, Marcus Harrison, D.J. Cooper, Melvin Bradley (nose guard)
The Picks: Malcolm Sheppard, Bainbridge, Ga., 2006-09; Melvin Bradley, West Helena, 1996-98
Why Sheppard? A tackle who played as stout as Sheppard might have made the difference in Arkansas’ 24-20 loss to No. 1 Alabama in 2010. One year before, the 6-foot-2, 291-pound senior had drawn constant double teams against No. 1 Florida, helping the upstart Hogs make six sacks in a near-upset they lost 23-20.
Why Bradley? Yes, he was undersized — a smidge over six feet, pushing 260 pounds. And yes, No. 41 admittedly got lazy in the offseason. But nobody turned it on in games like Bradley, who late in 1996 developed into one of the SEC’s two best down linemen.

DEFENSIVE END
Candidates: Jake Bequette, Steven Conley, Carlos Hall, Jamaal Anderson, Henry Ford, Jeb Huckeba, Ryan Hale
The Picks: Jamaal Anderson, Little Rock, 2004-06; Henry Ford, Fort Worth, Texas, 1990-93
Why Anderson? From a purely physical standpoint, the 6-6, 286-pound Anderson has been the most devastating defender in Arkansas’ SEC tenure. It all came together in the former wide receiver’s junior season, 2006, when he totaled 13.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hurries to help Arkansas win the SEC West.
Why Ford? While not as explosive as Anderson, Ford was far more consistent. He finished second in career tackles for loss (46), and in his senior year racked up 14 sacks, which is tied for first in the record books (this stat wasn’t recorded before 1984). That year, Ford would have led Arkansas’ defense into the program’s first SEC-era bowl game were it not for a missed extra point against Mississippi State.

LINEBACKER
The Candidates: Sam Olajubutu, Quinton Caver, Caleb Miller, Jerry Franklin, Jermaine Petty, Mark Smith, Darwin Ireland
The Picks: Quinton Caver, Anniston, Ala., 1997-2000; Caleb Miller, Sulphur Springs, Texas, 2000-2003;
Why Caver? Following a 63-20 loss to Tennessee, the wheels appeared to be spinning off Arkansas’ 2000 season when Caver capped his career in stunningly strong fashion against two Top 25 foes. The rangy 6-5 senior had a hand in three consecutive goal-line tackles to preserve a 17-10 overtime upset of Mississippi State, then set up a 14-3 defeat of LSU by returning an interception 33 yards for a touchdown on the Tigers’ first possession. A Las Vegas Bowl berth was salvaged.
Why Miller? He had to inhale more than four meals a day just to keep 225 pounds on his 6-3 frame. But the outgoing Texan pulled his weight and much more by his senior year, which was highlighted by defensive MVP honors in a 38-28 victory at No. 6 Texas and much needed stability through five victories in Arkansas’ last six games.
Why Franklin? No, the defenses he was on weren't great. But when there were plays being made during the Razorbacks' 21-5 run and two top 10 finishes in 2010 and 2011, Franklin was often involved. He led the team in tackles all four seasons and was often making big plays like his 94-yard fumble return for a touchdown to help Arkansas escape Vanderbilt in 2011.

CORNERBACKS
Candidates: Orlando Watters, Lawrence Richardson, Ahmad Carroll, Chris Houston, David Barrett
The Picks: Chris Houston, Austin, Texas, 2003-06; David Barrett, Osceola, 1996-99
Why Houston? Apparently, Houston skipped the English class covering John Donne’s celebrated poem which begins: “No Man Is An Island / Entire of Itself.” Houston, who benched 450 pounds, thrived in one-on-one matchups and routinely shut down top opponents to help the Hogs sew up the SEC West in 2006.
Why Barrett? What he lacked in height (5-9 ½), Barrett more than made up for in big plays. In a tight, Oct. 3, 1998 game against Kentucky, Barrett intercepted a Tim Couch pass and returned it 62 yards, a pivotal play in what would be the fourth of eight consecutive victories. Thirteen months later, in a four-point victory against No. 3 Tennessee, he returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown.

SAFETIES
Candidates: Tramain Thomas, Kenoy Kennedy, Ken Hamlin, Zac Painter, Tony Bua
The Picks: Kennoy Kennedy, Terrell, Texas, 1996-1999; Ken Hamlin, Memphis, 2000-02
Why Kennedy? Before his junior season, the media predicted the Hogs to finish last in the Western Division. Arkansas came within 35 seconds and five points of going undefeated in the regular season, only losing to No. 1 Tennessee and Mississippi State. The hard-hitting Kennedy, who dislodged four opponents’ helmets that fall, led a defense that in the SEC ranked second best in total yards allowed.
Why Hamlin? Hamlin put the lessons he learned from Kenoy Kennedy during his redshirt freshman season to good use. A year later, he anchored a pass defense which ranked No. 2 in the nation en route to becoming the school’s all-time leading tackler in three seasons. His 381 career tackles now rank No. 3 all-time.

PUNTER
Candidates: Pete Raether, Jeremy Davis, Dylan Breeding, Richie Butler, Matt Wait
The Pick: Dylan Breeding, Hoover, Ala., 2009-present
Why Breeding? Naturally, Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright grabbed the headlines for boffo performances in last season’s pivotal 42-38 victory at Texas A&M. But Breeding, who kicked seven times for an average of nearly 50 yards, played just as vital a role in the rousing comeback.

See our picks for the All-Arkansas Offense from the SEC era here.