Every few years, Arkansas football seems to come out of nowhere to field a very strong defense. Many of the Razorbacks’ best defenses over the years have been unexpected.
There was the 2006 defense, led by a defensive line with all four starters from Little Rock, including All-American defensive end Jamaal Anderson. Then there was defensive coordinator Robb Smith’s 2014 unit, which had the perfect combination of a player that had fallen into the Hogs’ lap (Darius Philon), a veteran (Trey Flowers) and a perfect junior college pickup (Martrell Spaight). And who can forget Barry Odom’s first defense, in 2020, that flustered opposing quarterbacks with a max zone defense spearheaded by Jalen Catalon?