Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

News and notes from Thursday’s Arkansas football media availability …

I. Recruiting Focus
This is far from a typical year for Arkansas, but coaches are treating the bye week like they would under normal circumstances.

Razorbacks staff members are out recruiting this weekend. None are guaranteed employment beyond their current contracts, which run out after the bowl season. Still, they’re out in the field recruiting.

Coach John L. Smith, offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Paul Haynes are among those who stayed Thursday to conduct practice. Other staff members left earlier in the week.

Athletic Director Jeff Long offered the coaches contracts that keep them here through a bowl game. All signed the deals, which pay longevity bonuses on top of their bowl bonuses if they stay, and the hope from Long is they’ll all handle the year as if they’ll be here next year.

“I have no question they are on the right kind of student-athletes and they are continuing to recruit,” Long said. “Obviously there are prospects out there that are going to wait to see what happens. Everybody gets concerned about recruiting and frankly so, but I think if everything goes like we expect we'll have our new coach named and we’ll be able to make up a lot of ground in recruiting in December.”

Arkansas is up to 17 commitments.

II. Self Service
Arkansas has done limited work in preparing for Ole Miss this week, coaches said. Instead, the focus has been inward, with a little bit of installation for the Rebels.

Primarily, the team needed the bye week to clean up some mistakes and try to heal.

“A lot of reps was good and we serviced ourselves a bunch and we got some real good looks all week long,” Smith said. “So, knock on wood, we have to wait until the game to see, but I think we made a lot of good improvement.”

III. Injury Update
D.D. Jones continues to be slowed by what Smith calls “leg problems.” Jones didn’t play against Kentucky and Smith said the defensive tackle's “legs are coming around a little bit.”

“[The] more rest he gets the better it is for him. He needs a couple weeks rest,” Smith said. “A good racehorse breaks down. He’s just going so hard. Going all the time. For some guys, they need a little more rest. And he needs a little rest.”

Jones, playing on one of the deepest units on the team, has 13 tackles in six games this season.

Wide receiver Demetrius Wilson injured a pinkie earlier this week. Smith didn’t indicate the injury was serious.

Speaking Out
“We’ve toyed with the idea of playing some of those guys, but we have not done that yet. We have not had to do that yet. You keep your fingers crossed.”
—John L. Smith on the team’s freshmen defensive ends Brandon Lewis (6 foot 5, 235 pounds), Deatrich Wise (6-6, 240), JaMichael Winston (6-5, 250) and Tawain Johnson (6-3, 245).