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More than a month into a pandemic-induced sports shutdown, fans were treated to a small taste of live sports at the end of last week with the NFL Draft.
Arkansas fans and players alike watched as new head coach Sam Pittman had two of his offensive linemen from Georgia - Andrew Thomas (No. 4 overall) and Isaiah Wilson (No. 29) - taken in the first round.
That raised some eyebrows across the country, as well as inside the Razorbacks’ own offensive line room.
“It’s a testament to Coach Pittman’s coaching and I’m really excited to be able to be coached by him and more importantly, to be coached by Coach (Brad) Davis,” redshirt junior Dalton Wagner said. “Coach Pittman puts all of his trust into Coach Davis to get us to where we need to be and Coach Davis has coached plenty of good o-linemen, as well, great o-linemen.
“I’m really excited about what they can pour into me these last two years of eligibility I have.”
With Pittman - who had a reputation for being one of the top offensive line coaches in the country before becoming Arkansas’ head coach - at the helm, expectations are high for the Razorbacks to turn things around up front.
He and offensive line coach Brad Davis - his protege - have made the unit one of the biggest focal points on the team for the upcoming season.
“It’s all about getting bigger and bigger and stronger, faster and everything,” Wagner said. “There’s a really big emphasis on the O-line being the leaders of the team and making sure that (as) our group goes, the rest of the team goes.”
Most of the attention is on Pittman because he had so much success at Arkansas a few years ago as the offensive line coach and is now the head coach, but Wagner said he’s also been impressed with Davis, who is much less known among the fanbase.
Davis is one of the smartest offensive line coaches Wagner has ever known. With virtual meetings allowing the offensive line group to start from scratch and learn Davis’ philosophy, Wagner said the coach has really gone into depth on things and expanded their knowledge.
“We’ve just slowly been progressing through everything,” Wagner said. “He’s really big on the details and making sure that everybody understands it. He’ll slow down if someone needs him to.”
The players haven’t been able to get on the field with Davis yet because of the coronavirus shutdown, but they’re finding other ways to get his attention and earn his respect. That includes doing their best to ace the quizzes they take at the end of the virtual meetings.
“If he can’t trust you to really take a quiz then he can’t trust you on Saturdays,” Wagner said. “That’s kind of been his philosophy, and everyone is trying to earn his trust right now.”
With the mental side of things being primary focus right now, Wagner said they spend extra time on questions from the quiz if several guys miss it, plus the linemen are sharing their notes in group messages amongst themselves.
It’s obviously not the same as being on the field and getting actual reps, but Wagner actually believes they’re learning things better than they would during a practice that’s condensed by NCAA rules.
In addition to building a better knowledge of the playbook, the offensive linemen are also trying to develop a relationship with their position coach. It’s difficult to do that and showcase your personality in informal meetings on the computer, but Davis is doing the best he can.
He opens and closes each meeting by asking how everyone and their family is doing during the pandemic and his sincerity has already made an impact.
“I’m more than willing to bet he’ll give the shirt off his back,” Wagner said. “I guarantee he takes care of his players and makes sure everyone is safe. Also, he’s a hilarious guy.”
