Arkansas junior defensive end Nico Davillier said he struggled with hubris early in his collegiate career, but has reformed his mindset and developed into a potential breakout SEC pass-rusher ahead of the 2024 season.
The 6-foot-4, 271-pound Maumelle native saw action in all 12 games last season and recorded a career-high 11 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack.
Defensive line coach Deke Adams joined the Hogs simultaneously as Davillier prior to the 2022 season, so Adams has been able to see Davillier's emergence from a former four-star to an experienced athlete.
"At that time, Nico walked in and he was a great player," Adams said. "Been around a really good program, then I think he thought he was just going to fall into the mold of things, realized he had to work at it.
"Didn’t play as much his first year. Played a little bit more last year. The light came on this spring and he’s playing at a high level right now. So I’m really pleased with where he is and he does a lot of good things for us. He plays physical and he’s playing fast right now."
Heading into the 2024 season, Davillier seems to be in play for Arkansas' "buck", which Adams detailed as a scheme-oriented position that can be manipulated depending on the opponent.
"I would say it’s just an outside linebacker," Davillier said. "Just rushing the passer, dropping in coverage and playing the run. Just an athletic defensive end just standing up."
Davillier talked about his personal goals for his third year in Fayetteville and previewed what he expects to happen in Arkansas' first scrimmage of fall camp Thursday.
"With me, pass rush and transitioning from run to pass quicker," Davillier said. "Just keep on doing what I’m doing with the run and just keep playing physical.”
According to Davillier, most of the periods during the Thursday scrimmage will be live.
"That’s going to help us on tackling a lot more," Davillier said. "Like Landon (Jackson) said, we’ve been doing a poor job in the first couple of weeks of the season on tackling and open space tackling. I feel like with Coach (Sam) Pittman and the rest of the coaching staff is doing to help us get prepared, I think it’s going to be very good."
Arkansas will continue with its first scrimmage of fall camp Thursday in Fayetteville ahead of the season opener on Thursday, Aug. 29, against UAPB. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
