FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas has several position battles going on midway through fall camp, but the competition at Nickel might be the most intriguing.
With sixth-year senior Kevin Richardson sidelined for at least the first two games of the season with a foot injury, defensive coordinator John Chavis is giving several players an opportunity to take the hybrid linebacker-defensive back spot.
Sophomores D’Vone McClure, Hayden Henry and Derrick Munson have all seen time in the rotation, but the one that continues to turn heads is true freshman Joe Foucha. The New Orleans (La.) native who once held scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Texas and many others seems to make something happen every time he gets a shot.
“He does everything. Picking, stripping, he’s just getting the ball. He’s just turning the ball over,” cornerback Ryan Pulley said. “That man is a ball hawk. Wherever that ball is at, you’ll see Joe. I think he leads camp in strip fumbles, the most turnovers on the defense out of all of them. He’s just a ball hawk. I love the way he plays aggressive.”
Junior linebacker De’Jon “Scoota” Harris, who also hails from The Big Easy, knew early on that Foucha had a chance to make an early impact this season.
“Joe came in with a chip on his shoulder,” Harris said. “I liked him with him being from New Orleans, too. So he’s just always a high-energy type of guy. He’s not afraid to stick his head in there and make some plays and he’s a playmaker. That’s what he does. He’s coming along. He has some freshman mistakes. That’s acceptable, but he tries to limit them as much as he can. I like what he’s doing.
“I even told him before we got back with the coaches, like in the summertime when he was running at safety. I said, ‘You might want to be ready and start learning nickel.’ With K-Rich out, we have a couple guys in there battling for nickel, so I like what he’s doing. I hope he just keeps building off it.”
While Foucha is best known for his playmaking abilities on the field, he’s also quickly becoming a hit with his teammates outside of football.
It’s not difficult to spot the 5-11, 195-pounder at practice. Just find the loudest person on the field – usually he’s the one who’s also dancing in between drills – and you’ve found Foucha.
“Day one, he came in with a lot of confidence, a lot of swagger,” Calloway said. “I’ve seen Joe just be relentless. Just getting to that ball and playing fast. I think Joe with days to come and him just running the coverages and techniques and everything, he’s going to be a big-time player this year.”
While Foucha will definitely have a role as a true freshman – especially with this year’s rule changes that allow all freshmen to play the first four games while still keeping their redshirt year intact – winning the job won’t be easy.
McClure continues to man the first group and has been a pleasant surprise to Chavis ever since the spring.
Henry, the little brother of former Razorback tight end Hunter Henry, is an active linebacker type who excels in coverage, and Munson has also impressed the coaching staff with his start to fall camp.
The Hogs will try to find a clearer picture of how the Nickel position unfolds on Saturday when they host their second scrimmage of fall camp.
For the second straight week, the practice is slated to be closed to both the fans and the media.