By Nate Allen
This summer Tyler Wilson strives to make short work at becoming the Arkansas Razorbacks starting quarterback.
Make that shorter work, not in hours but on form. That’s been a major goal as the fourth-year junior from Greenwood emerges from the backup shadows to quarterback the Razorbacks in voluntary workouts with two-year Razorbacks record-setting starter Ryan Mallett now in the NFL with New England.
“I wanted to work on my release technique and try and get the ball out of my hand a little quicker,” Wilson said when he was among Razorbacks the UA selected to meet with media last week. “I have a longer release and I want to shorten that up.”
How has it gone?
“It’s been good,” Wilson said. “I have reaped some benefits and am throwing the ball with a lot more zip and a little more accurate.”
Wilson seeks to take charge on a permanent basis like he did throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns replacing an injured Mallett during last season’s loss to national champion Auburn.
“You can always continue to work on little things and for me that’s what that was,” Wilson said of a small step he hopes pays big dividends, “and continue my leadership role and make sure we are on time and it’s looking right. I am a guy who likes to see drills look right and look correct for me to be happy with the end of the day. If it’s sloppy, I am not really happy. I think we have had a good season and those are things I am working on.”
The summer pace zips from “voluntary” to mandatory with official practice beginning Aug. 4.
“I stress it every day,” Wilson said of the summer conditioning worked around UA summer school classes. “I say to the guys, ‘Man, the clock is ticking. Everything we do in workouts is on the clock and what we do to put the hay in the barn before we get to two-a-days is vital.”
The Hogs work at a blistering summer conditioning pace but even a harsh taskmaster conditioning coach like Arkansas’ Jason Veltkamp makes allowances for a lingering and dangerous heat wave.
“Bottom line is you’ve got to get them all to the game,” Veltkamp said. “My job is make sure they’re all there, strong, powerful, fast and in good shape, but also they get there. You’ve got to take care of them at the same time and make sure your horses get in the race.”
With offensive tackle Ant-hony Oden’s 2011 presence cast in limbo since a DWI charge earlier this month, media asked the selected UA players about the Hogs known-to-be-available offensive tackles, senior Grant Freeman, January-en-rolled true freshman Brey Cook of Springdale Har-Ber and January-enrolled junior college transfer Jason Peacock.
With 2010 fifth-year senior starting tackles DeMarcus Love and Ray Dominguez graduated, the Hogs were depending heavily on journeyman fifth-year senior Freeman and newcomers Cook and Peacock even before Oden’s situation arose.
All four understandably struggled in the spring block ing Arkansas premier defensive ends Jake Bequette, tabbed first-team Preseason All-SEC by the SEC coaches, and Tenarius Wright, selected by coach Bobby Petrino to be among the players representing the Razorbacks at this week’s SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.
“They are looking good,” Bequette said. “I was really proud of those guys in the spring the way they stepped up. There was some rough action for them in the spring but I think this summer has forced them to come together and jell together. I think you are going to see a lot of improvement in fall camp and in the games this fall.”
Fifth-year senior Freeman knows the drill well, but the summer has been particularly eye-opening for rookie tackles Cook, not to be confused with fifth-year senior starting guard Grant Cook of Jonesboro, and Peacock.
“Peacock and Brey Cook have come a long way,” Arkansas third-year sophomore starting guard Alvin Bailey said. “Especially for it being their first summer here.
It’s a demanding league and they both know that Coach K (offensive line coach Chris Klenakis) will tell you that every day. It’s not high school. It’s not juco any more.”
Turns out the two big new trucks parked at practice meant more work for the Hogs, not Bob Barker coming out of retirement.
“I was hoping it was like “The Price is Right,” where you got to take one of those babies,” Bequette said. “I guess not today. Maybe later.”
The Hogs didn’t drive the trucks, they pushed them competing with other Hogs.
“That was something the coaches do to kind of break up the monotony of just weights and running,” Bequette said. “You know it’s not easy, but it’s fun, just to get the competitive juices going and do something different.”
