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Barry Odom discusses Arkansas’ depth at defensive back, plans for personnel at nickel in 2022
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom understands the importance of strong play from his defensive backs. Headed into his 3rd season as the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator, Odom’s unit has been part of the program’s surge from SEC bottom-feeder to a 9-4 record in 2021.
On Thursday, Odom spoke specifically about the Razorbacks’ plans for the nickel position this season, and one specific player that was brought up was Myles Slusher. Slusher recorded 30 tackles and 3.0 stops for a loss, breaking up 4 passes as he primarily played at safety. However, he should expect to play more at the nickel slot in 2022, per Odom.
“Our best opportunity for us to be good on defense is for him to play nickel,” he said, according to 247Sports. “He’s very versatile. He can cover, he’s good against the run. He’s got a knack for blitzing, and those are all things that we want that position to be able to do.”
And the door has been open for other players to get a shot in practice due to a minor injury that has slowed Slusher.
“Trent Gordon has played well. Jacorrei Turner came back from an injury early on from the offseason. He came back and has played well,” Odom said. “Jayden Johnson has gotten reps there and did again today. A number of guys are going to roll in there, and with Slush being out it allowed those guys to get those reps.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
