Bret Bielema has never been a coach known to compromise his own football philosophies unless absolutely necessary.

It’s the reason he not only runs a pro-style offense that appears better suited for the 1980s, but succeeds in running that offense in 2015.

It’s the reason he was able to follow an 0-8 run through the SEC in his first season at Arkansas with a pair of SEC victories last year, including consecutive shutouts of ranked teams for the first time in recorded history.

It’s the reason he left a Rose Bowl-laden tenure at Wisconsin to take on the steeper challenges presented by the SEC, and why he’s already emerged as one of the most popular coaches in the conference in only two years’ time with a mere 2-14 conference record to his name.

Bielema is a man who does things his own way. He always has, and he always will. Or, at least that’s what we thought.

But if a recent interview with ESPN’s Ed Aschoff is any indication, Bielema may be sharing a philosophy with a fellow SEC coach, one he thinks could make all the difference for Arkansas in 2015.

The Hogs’ coach admitted to Aschoff he’s always been someone who believes depth is as valuable as talent in the starting lineup, and he said what former Mississippi State and current Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins has been able to do in recent years has inspired him to follow a similar path.

Collins’ famed Psycho Defenses in four seasons at Mississippi State involved a true two-deep rotation at every level of the defense. The Gators’ new DC doesn’t believe in starters and backups; instead, he refers to his rotations as 1A and 1B, and believes having 22 capable starters rotating on and off the field throughout a game can maintain fresh legs and allow the defense to give a variety of looks depending on the personnel on the field.

Bielema is also a fan of building and utilizing depth, and after Collins made his Psycho Defense work for a Mississippi State program coming off perhaps its best season ever, Bielema has been inspired to try and do the same in Fayetteville in 2015.

“It’s kind of been my philosophy all the way through that if you can get a two-deep going, especially in the front, you’re going to have something special,” Bielema told Aschoff.

The Razorbacks’ coach is focusing his attention on first building depth and forming a potent rotation along the defensive line, or at least that’s how he led on in his interview with Aschoff. The Hogs lost their two best linemen from a year ago in defensive end Trey Flowers and defensive tackle Darius Philon, both of whom were selected in the most recent NFL draft.

Nevertheless, Arkansas also returns a pair of starters, a few capable backups with experience in Bielema’s program, and a slew of talented 2015 signees who could be the missing link in the rotation.

Defensive end JaMichael Winston and defensive tackle Taiwan Johnson are both back in the starting lineup, and while neither may possess the star quality of a Flowers or a Philon, both are more than capable of holding their own against the menacing offensive linemen of the SEC West.

Bielema raved about Winston, a rising junior, following the spring practice season, noting his emergence as a physical specimen and as an on-field leader. Johnson is another rising junior who logged 8 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last year playing alongside Philon. If he can even come close to those numbers as the new top defensive tackle, it would elevate the play of the entire line.

But while returning two starters up front is nice, it’s once again the depth Arkansas presents that has Bielema so excited. The coach said DeMarcus Hodge, a backup with 26 games of experience under his belt, has “secured” the nose tackle position alongside Johnson, and noted fellow defensive tackle Bijhon Jackson has made tremendous strides since his freshman season a year ago.

That gives Arkansas three potent defensive tackles, and we haven’t even mentioned incoming four-star defensive tackle signees Hjalte Froholdt and juco transfer Jeremiah Ledbetter. If either of those two (more likely Ledbetter considering his juco experience and considering Froholdt’s ongoing journey from his native Denmark to Florida to his newest home in Fayetteville) can step up and serve as an impactful backup in 2015, that gives the Hogs a true two-deep at the position that Bielema is giddy about.

Joining Winston among the team’s defensive ends are rising sophomores Deatrich Wise Jr. and Tevin Beanum, as well as four-star signee Jamario Bell, who will arrive on campus this summer. Wise logged 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss as a freshman last season, while Beanum added a pair of tackles behind the line in limited action. If both can build on those numbers with more consistent playing time and a year of experience under their belts, the team’s ends might be as deep as its tackles.

All in all, Bielema feels like all nine of the aforementioned players are capable of taking part in a regular rotation a la what Collins did at Mississippi State the last four seasons.

“We feel we can go into a game in the SEC and have good rotation and not have a huge drop-off of where we are,” Bielema told Aschoff.

And in a conference that includes Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry and others, talented depth up front could make all the difference in deciding the fate of Arkansas’ 2015 season.