Alex Hicks earned All-State honors playing quarterback at El Dorado last season. When Steven Jones took over the head coaching duties in the spring, one of his first moves was to switch Hicks to running back.
The move wasn’t because of what Hicks couldn’t do at quarterback. It was because of what he could do at running back.
“Looking at the film from last season and the way he ran the football, I saw him as a downhill kind of guy, really liked the way he ran between the tackles. He seemed like a better fit at that spot,” Jones said.
Hicks, a 5-8, 190-pound senior, led the Wildcats with 885 rushing yards last season. He scored 12 rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.8 yards per carry. He also passed for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Jones said he’s excited to see what Hicks can do if he only focuses on carrying the football. The coach said he didn’t have to talk the player into it.
“Alex is a big team guy. He had no hesitation, just said, ‘Yes, sir, I’ll do it.’ It almost seemed like it was a relief to him,” said Jones.
Despite the success he enjoyed at quarterback, Hicks insisted he had no issues changing positions.
“When he first came, around the first week. He watched the film and we tried it out. It turned out to be the best for me. I wasn’t hesitant at all,” Hicks said. “When he said that’s what he’d like me to do, I jumped straight into it and started working. If that’s what’s best for the team, I’m going to do it.”
It also might be the best thing for Hicks, personally. He took a recruiting trip to Harding University for a camp recently. The Bisons are looking at him at running back.
“I would say it’s opened up college offers and things like that,” said Hicks. “Because of my height, me playing quarterback with my height, it narrows down opportunities. Me playing running back, I can show my hand skills, my catching skills. I can show running the ball. I can show blocking. I can do it all.”
Running back isn’t a foreign position for Hicks, who lined up in the backfield at times as a sophomore. He credited running backs coach DeAnthony Curtis for helping with the adjustments.
“It’s been smooth. He catches on to what we’re doing quickly. Scheme-wise, nothing changes so he understands what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s been pretty seamless,” said Jones,” who expects the offense to feature the running back this season.
“I expect him to have a big season. Everything, offensively, we do is keyed around him at running back. We’re looking forward to an explosive season. I’ve enjoyed Alex so far. He’s a team guy, all about what’s best for the team. You don’t see that with a lot with kids. That selfless attitude is something that’s contagious to his other teammates.”
Hicks said his goal is to be a complete back.
“I’m working on bringing my 40 time down a little. I’ve been working on catching the ball a little better and blocking, also. I want to protect my quarterback,” he said. “I just play my role and whatever they ask me to do.”
El Dorado travels to a team camp today at Hot Springs. Other teams scheduled to compete include Little Rock McClellan, Hot Springs, Little Rock Mills, Glen Rose, Poyen and Osceola.