FAYETTEVILLE — Forever, coaches have emphasized that it's not really football until full pads are donned.
Call it what you want, but nothing counts when players are wearing only helmets.
New defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads emphasized that Thursday when he met with the media for the first time this week. The Hogs opened spring drills Tuesday and continued Thursday, both times in shorts and helmets. They'll add full pads Saturday.
“I was chastised by a head coach once for calling it football in underwear,” Rhoads said. “A lot of things look good when no one is striking each other.