With the 2022 season now over Arkansas, it’s time to turn our attention to the offseason and the future. A good place to start is on defense, where the 2022 squad collapsed due to injuries and what appeared to be a messy attempt to transition to a more traditional scheme.
Barry Odom is now off to UNLV as head coach, replaced by Travis Williams, who comes over from UCF.
A more extensive breakdown of the UCF defense will come soon, but for now, let’s introduce Williams and get a general view of what he’s bringing to Fayetteville.
Arkansas’ defense was bad in 2022, but not as bad as they looked
Despite ranking dead last in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game, the advanced stats aren’t quite as critical of Arkansas’ defense. The Hogs ranked 69th in EPA+/Play and 74th in PPA+/Drive. Given that there are 131 FBS teams, that’s not as awful as you might think… though that was worst of Odom’s three defenses and ahead of only Vanderbilt and Ole Miss among SEC defenses.
Injuries played a significant role in this, but Odom’s attempt to transition the defense from the signature “rush-3, drop-8” scheme that dominated his first two years into a more traditional four-man front didn’t work out. The Hogs improved their pass rush significantly, setting a school record with 42 sacks. And while they gave up a ton of passing yards, they actually finished a respectable 53rd in Opponent EPA+/Pass. The bigger issue was a combination of run defense (93rd in Opponent EPA+/Rush) and an inability to get off the field on third and long (89th in Opponent Passing Downs Success Rate). When the Hogs blitzed, they were vulnerable against the run, but when they didn’t, their secondary got shredded.
I do wonder if Sam Pittman asked Odom before this season to be more aggressive on defense, because Arkansas literally went from worst to first in the SEC in sack rate in one season. One of the issues that Arkansas ran into is that Odom’s scheme – which uses defensive linemen as block-eaters to free the linebackers to make plays – is not particularly well-suited to being really aggressive. When you’re relying on your linebackers to make plays – Bumper Pool became Arkansas’ all-time tackle leader by playing three years in this scheme – you’re making plays down the field, not at or behind the line of scrimmage. Arkansas basically had to blitz to throw opponents off-schedule.
That’s where Travis Williams comes in.
Meet Travis Williams
Williams played at Auburn and then served as a GA with the Tigers from 2009 to 2011, coinciding with Gus Malzahn’s time as offensive coordinator. He took an assistant job at Northern Iowa in 2012 and coached high school in 2013 before jumping back into the college ranks as a defensive analyst at Auburn from 2013 to 2015, now under Malzahn as head coach. He finally broke into an on-field role when Kevin Steele became Auburn’s defensive coordinator in 2016, serving as linebackers coach. He coached linebackers through 2020 and added a co-DC title in 2019 and 2020. Malzahn brought Williams with him as DC when he went to UCF.
Williams, then, could be considered part of the Kevin Steele coaching tree. Steele is a longtime veteran who has been the defensive coordinator at Alabama (Nick Saban’s first with the Tide, in 2007), LSU, and Auburn. Steele is a rather staunch proponent of the 4-3 Over defense, usually paired with man-to-man coverage, particularly Quarters.
So I assumed Williams is probably also a 4-3 Over plus Quarters guy. Sure enough, I looked at the first play of the first video of UCF’s defense, and there it is:
The 4-3 Over is, as the name implies, a 4-man front defense where the defensive line is slightly “shifted” into the strong side of the offense’s formation. The name “Over” comes from the two interior linemen. In a 4-man odd front, there’s always two defensive tackles: the 1-tech and the 3-tech. The 1-tech, or “nose”, plays on the outside shoulder of the center. The 3-tech aligns on the outside shoulder of one of the guards. In an Over front, the 1-tech is to the weak side of the ball and the 3-tech is to the strong side, making him an “over tackle”.
Here are a few key points about the 4-3 Over as Williams will likely run it:
- It frees defensive linemen to go make plays. We can see the difference just in individual tackle numbers for 2022. None of Arkansas’ top eight tacklers are defensive linemen; four of UCF’s top eight tacklers are linemen. Odom’s scheme wanted the linemen to clog things up so the linebackers could get stops, but Williams’ scheme will insist on the linemen to go wreak havoc themselves. Arkansas’ 2022 defense ranked 85th in Opponent Stuff Rate (% of runs for 0 yards or fewer), while UCF’s ranked 23rd. More playmaking linemen equals more pressure/sacks without blitzing and more run stuffs.
- It has deep Arkansas ties. The Over was invented by Arkansas alum Jimmy Johnson, who most famously ran it at Miami. It has been copied widely across all levels of football, but particularly southern college football. Johnson protégé Reggie Herring ran it as Arkansas DC from 2005 to 2007, when Arkansas’ all-Little Rock defensive line of Jamaal Anderson, Keith Jackson Jr., Marcus Harrison, and Antwain Robinson was destroying opposing offensive fronts.
- It will be very simple. Steele in particular preaches simplicity to keep his talented players to play loosely and not get into their own heads. He wants his guys to execute simple schemes with confidence. Watching Williams’ press conferences, it’s clear his thinking on simplicity is similar.
- It is not unique. Odom’s rush-3, drop-8 defense was, at least at the time Odom first deployed it in 2020, quite unique. The Hogs were able to baffle inexperienced quarterbacks across 2020 and 2021 by showing them things they hadn’t seen and weren’t prepared for. That will no longer be the case. The 4-3 Over is a time-tested scheme that works when it is properly executed by talented players, but it does not provide any kind of schematic advantage, as its heavy usage over the years means that all offenses know how to prepare for it.
- Recruiting and development will be vital to its success. Pittman has emphasized the need for good recruiters, and that will definitely be the case here. Because this defense is not particularly unique, it will only provide an advantage when the talent is there. Its simplicity and ubiquity will make it attractive to recruits, but the Hogs have to close the deal on talented prospects, particularly on the defensive line, if it is going to work. And then those stars have to translate into actual on-field success.
Does Arkansas have the personnel to succeed?
In the Liberty Bowl, Arkansas ran 4-3 Over almost exclusively. I don’t know if that was Williams’ early influence (even though he didn’t actually coach the game), or if that was already in the Odom playbook, but it was interesting nonetheless. It certainly gave Williams a look at what he’s dealing with heading into the offseason.
Defensive Line
For a while, I thought that Pittman sold Jordan Domineck on the scheme he wanted, which played a role in Domineck’s decision to return to Fayetteville when he conceivably could have gone pro. Domineck is exactly the kind of weakside defensive end that is likely to thrive in this new defense. However, Domineck has since entered the transfer portal, which strikes me as odd, though it’s hard to tell what his motivation is. Landon Jackson and Jashaud Stewart are expected to return, and both fit the scheme well.
The interior has some more questions. Cam Ball and Terry Hampton both played the 1-tech, and Ball projects as the early starter at the position in 2023. But the 3-tech is a mystery. Odom’s 3-man front obviously didn’t use a 3-tech, and Taurean Carter was set to start in the 4-man front lineups, but he missed the entire season with an injury, forcing the Hogs to move Eric Gregory to 3-tech when they used a 4-man front. Both Carter and Gregory are expected to return, but it’s not clear whether either is the best choice. The Hogs used freshman Marcus Miller at the 3-tech for a lot of snaps in the bowl. The 3-tech really has to be a playmaker in order to stop the run. He’s smaller than the 1-tech (about 280 pounds, ideally) but he’s got to be really quick to succeed. He’ll have a chance to wreck a lot of strongside run plays if he’s good.
Linebackers
The linebackers tend to be smaller and faster, as they are not asked to absorb the brunt of the opposing run game. Former Hog Sam Olajabutu, who played outside linebacker for Herring’s Over defenses, was 5’8 and about 220 pounds during his college days. Guys like Bumper Pool are not fits for this system as outside linebackers, though the Mike can be a little bigger.
Pooh Paul seems perfect at weakside linebacker. He’s very fast sideline to sideline and decent in coverage, which is what you’re really looking for. And while Jordan Crook started the bowl, the Hogs may visit the portal to find a starting Mike.
Despite the name “4-3”, the Hogs will almost certainly use Nickel personnel as a base, so instead of a Sam linebacker, you’ll have a nickelback.
Secondary
Arkansas’ corners are set: Dwight McGlothern and Quincey McAdoo. I’ll be stunned if McAdoo goes back to offense, as he truly has potential at corner. Williams will be very heavy on Quarters coverage, which means the outside cornerbacks are going to play a lot of man. The Hogs will frequently play press coverage into the boundary. McGlothern does really well as a press corner who plays trail coverage (stays right behind his man and jumps up to bat passes away). Nickel will be an open spot with the departure of Myles Slusher. Jayden Johnson and LaDarrius Bishop could be names to watch, or the Hogs could look to the portal.
Safety will undergo a change. In a 4-3 Over, the two safeties are basically interchangeable. There are almost no differences between the two positions and they will have mirrored roles in Quarters. When the Hogs go to Cover 1 or Cover 3 – which features only one high safety – both safeties will be trained to be the high or low safety, depending on the need.
One of the nice things about this defense is doesn’t put a ton of pressure on the safeties to be elite open-field tacklers, like Arkansas’ defense over the last three years did. They are asked to keep everything in front of them and help the corners in pass coverage. The linebackers and defensive line are asked to take care of the run game, while the linebackers and underneath pass defenders are asked to make most tackles after the catch.
Hudson Clark could vie for a starting job. He doesn’t have the closing speed you’d like to see from a deep safety, but he’s a veteran who can generally get himself in position to make a play. Freshman Jaylen Lewis got some snaps at safety in the bowl, and Johnson could compete here if he’s not left at nickel. But Arkansas will certainly need the portal to find a guy or two to compete.
Conclusion
I really like this hire. Arkansas’ 2006 defense has always been one of my favorites, and the opportunity to create something similar is hard to pass up. But it’s going to take some time and some big wins in recruiting. The Hogs need a linebacker and at least one safety out of the portal. And moving forward, recruiting on the defensive line really has to pick up. The Hogs have missed on far too many targets over the last couple years. A better recruiter at DC plus a more friendly scheme for elite athletes should help, but Arkansas needs to close on some big fish soon.
It helps that the pressure on Williams will be very low at first. Kendal Briles has the Razorback offense rolling, so the defense merely needs to be acceptable to make the team successful. In time, a championship will require an elite defense, but Williams is going to get plenty of time to build that.
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