By Nate Allen
Special to the News-Times
FAYETTEVILLE - Potentially, Arkansas sophomore defensive end McTelvin “Sosa” Agim can make big plays like no other Razorbacks defensive lineman can make.
But if he devotes entire games to making those big plays, it could be potentially disastrous, the Razorbacks coaches tell Agim and Agim tells himself.
At 6-foot-3, 286 pounds, Agim runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. A Texarkana, Texas native who became a five-star high school All-American for Hope, Agim combines incredible athletic ability, speed, size and strength.
And since last year’s Razorbacks 4-3 defense leaked opposition running games like a flood, their new 3-4 scheme seems predicated on Agim making big plays.
To a point, that’s true, but that point can’t stretch beyond the defense’s premise, defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, defensive line coach John Scott and Agim concur.
Rhoads explains.
“He’s so capable of making big plays in the run game and the passing game,” Rhoads said. “Maintaining the discipline to do that will be a big key to his success and collectively to our success.
"We view ourselves as a defense without stars. There’s no returning All-SEC players and certainly no returning All-SEC coaches on this defense. We’ve got to play and focus on 11 guys playing as one and doing so every play for us to achieve.”
Emerging as a rookie in the final five games of the 2016 season, Agim finished with 5 1/2 stops behind the line among his 27 tackles. That certainly adorns Agim with star potential, but he’s not the only potential star in the Hogs’ defensive line for any given play, Scott says.
So when Agim’s big-play potential is repeatedly cited, Scott rebuts that stat starting nose guard Bijhon Jackson and starting end T.J. Smith aren’t there just to spectate, nor are their backups.
“I know that’s what everybody says,” Scott said of Agim cast as THE big play man. “And Sosa is doing a good job fine tuning his game. But the way coach Rhoads calls the defense, I think you’re going to be surprised by how some other people step up. We all have high hopes for Bijhon Jackson and T.J Smith. You never know whose number is going to be called for a particular play.”
Agim gets the message, especially about staying within the defense’s framework over getting all hyped about all his big-play hype.
“I live with a great appreciation of it,” Agim said. “But at the same time, playing this defense, there are 10 other guys with me, and it’s not going to be just me making plays. If I’m out of my gap trying to make a play and a back cuts back into my gap and I miss the play, I’ve messed up. Play within the defense and you’ll be OK.”
And with four linebackers behind him, sometimes Agim’s key to big plays isn’t making big plays at all. It’s tying up double-teaming blockers freeing linebackers to make plays.
“That’s something that our coach has harped on about, holding that double team and making sure the linebacker can come underneath over the top to make those plays,” Agim said. “So if it takes two to block me, he can shoot right up in there in the gap.”
A big bonus for Agim and his eventual NFL aspirations, he says a defensive lineman occupying blockers is NFL draft appreciated.
“If you don’t make the play, but tie up blockers, that’s how NFL scouts look at it,” Agim said. “Even if you don’t make a play, did you hold your own? Did you do your assignment? You’ve got to make sure you are staying on that.”
And as last year’s Razorbacks lamentably proved, constantly exploited by running quarterbacks, somebody has got to account staying on the quarterback at all times.
“I feel like now we always have somebody on the quarterback,” Agim said.
“That’s another part of doing your job. On the dive, you know who is responsible for the quarterback. On the speed option, you know who is responsible for each player.
“So I feel like that is something we have been able to accomplish. I feel the 3-4 was made for the players we have. I feel like that 3-4 is going to help us bloom.”
And while tying up blockers and playing within the scheme is part of the job, coming off the block to make the play when you can is always appreciated.
“Last year, I felt we were stationary,” Agim said. “But this coaching staff wants you to make plays. They want you to be a football player. They want you too get off the block and make that tackle.”
It all will add up to considerably better team defensive numbers than last year, Agim predicts.
“Coach put the numbers up and it was 405 yards a game,” Agim said. “I think, and this is probably being generous, that we were 94th in the nation on defense and 14th in the SEC, dead last.
“So we took that to heart. Our training staff, our coaching staff… everybody has told us, ‘That’s not us this year.’ We are trying to make plays and change up the culture. It’s a focal point.”