Arkansas-Pine Bluff HC Alonzo Hampton Reflects On His First Spring
Even though it's a new position for Alonzo Hampton, he is no stranger to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Hampton, an Arkansas native, broke into the collegiate ranks as a defensive backs coach and later a defensive coordinator for the Golden Lions. After five years on the staff, Hampton spent the next decade coaching at various programs, from Tift County High School to Western Kentucky, from Florida State and Oregon. His most recent stop was at his alma mater, Louisiana-Monroe.
Now, in 2023, Hampton is back where it all started, but this time as the head coach of the Golden Lions. "We got a lot of learning taking place on both sides of the ball," Hampton said as he went through his first spring practice. "It's going well. I'm excited about where we're at so far. In addition to installing some base packages on both sides of the ball, Hampton also instills the mentality he wants from his team.
"We want to be a physical football team on the defensive side of the ball," Hampton said. "We want to pursue it with an aggressive manner but be disciplined when we get there at the point of attack. "We also want to be a spread offense. You want to control the tempo and make sure the defense has to defend all parts of the field. I think if you got a quarterback, you're going to have a chance to win on Saturdays."
These are the challenges begin for Hampton and his staff — several players who were statistical leaders last season are no longer on the team:
- Mark Evans II made First Team All-SWAC as an offensive lineman, selected for the NFL Scouting Combine with hopes of being drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft.
- Skyler Perry, the starting quarterback who threw for 1,372 yards last season, has turned pro.
- Kayvon Britten, the team's leading rusher with 1,063 yards, transferred to Tarleton State.
- RaeQuan Prince, the team's leading receiver in yards and touchdowns, transferred to Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Coaches often prefer to start with a clean slate when taking over a program. The open positions can pose a significant challenge for any program that seeks to improve its performance, given the need to replace a considerable amount of production. Hampton has decided to concentrate on the good things rather than the negative. "I look at it as an opportunity for the guys that are still here on campus to show what they can do," Hampton said. "You got guys that think they're ready to take that next step in their journey to become leaders of the football team.
"As a coaching staff, we look at it as 'We get a chance to evaluate the guys we have here on campus. I know a lot of coaches come in, and they immediately say, 'I will get rid of all these guys.' Guess what? We don't want to get rid of all the guys; we want to keep the best players in the classroom, on the football field, and in the community. We want to keep those guys around and build off those guys."
Hampton made a valid point about why coaching changes are frequently made - to achieve success. While a new coach may be brought in for this purpose, the success of a program is not solely dependent on the coach. It is also heavily influenced by the players on the field and sidelines. For Hampton, he wants to see if the remaining players are skillful and talented and if they can be a part of a Golden Lions' program that is working towards a winning culture. That said, he doesn't believe cleaning the house is necessary.
Besides, the cupboard isn't bare in Pine Bluff, Ark. UAPB still has Chrysten Cochran, who was second on the team in receiving yards (336) and third in catches (28) during his junior season. The program also has Rico Dozier, who, as a sophomore, led the team in total tackles (78) and was third in sacks (3).
Hampton was very high on Dozier, calling him a "tackling machine" during spring practice. "Very intelligent young man loves the game of football," Hampton said. "He's a quiet leader, doesn't say much. But you can always count on him to be where he's supposed to be and do what he's supposed to in the classroom, the community, and on the football field."
UAPB's new head coach also had positive remarks about Cochran, saying he's an intelligent football player with "tremendous hands." But he also said that wide receiver is one of the better units during spring practice as several players have shown the ability to make plays.
"Cochran has a lot of competition on his side of the football," Hampton said. Cochran and Dozier are the familiar faces of UAPB football, but both will be under new coordinators this season as Hampton has brought in new faces to run the offense and defense.
On offense, the new coordinator is Bobby Acosta. His stops include IMG Academy, Syracuse, and other colleges, where he's recruited upper-level talent and has created a reputation for leading high-scoring offenses. "He's one of the offensive gurus of football," Hampton said about Acosta. "I met him while I was at the University of South Florida. I played him while I was at USF as the defensive backs and special teams coordinator, and he was at Syracuse.
"He's an offensive wizard. All he does is eat and sleep football." On defense, the man in charge is David Calloway, who most recently was the head coach at Central Methodist University, an NAIA school. "Just him being a head coach, I thought it was a right move for me to get a guy like that with that experience," Hampton said. "He has my kind of demeanor - kind of fiery, but he's a teacher."
Before Central Methodist, Calloway was the head coach at Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville, where in 2010, the defense allowed 57 rushing yards per game, a single-season record. That is a major plus for a Golden Lions defense that gave up 244.3 rushing yards per game last season. For reference, the second-highest amount was 208.8 yards per game.
Calloway and Acosta bring a wealth of experience to the coaching staff, but here is the most intriguing part of their hires; when Hampton began his coaching search, neither was initially considered.
"I had a list of guys for the offensive and defensive coordinator positions, and neither one of those guys was on my list," Hampton said. "As I began to talk to guys and interview guys, I didn't get what I really wanted, and some recommended these two guys." Calloway made a lasting first impression on Hampton: after he received the call for an interview, Calloway drove to meet Hampton the next day, which was about an eight-hour drive. "That told me right then and there - he wanted this opportunity," Hampton said.
"They weren't the guys I initially had on my call sheet, but they were the best of the best. I tell people this - I got a steal in both of those guys. So we're going to put this thing together as a staff. We're just excited about building our team."
Another factor in building a team is the talent a staff brings in. Though the signing class comprised only five players, Hampton is excited about the talent each freshman can bring:
- Running back BJ Curry was a two-time Arkansas state champion in the 110-meter hurdles while running for over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns on the gridiron.
- Defensive back Deuce Cooper is an All-Conference performer who Hampton expects to play right away.
- Quarterback Nassir Donohoo is a true dual threat, as he threw for 2,000 career passing yards and ran for 1,463 more. He also was a state champion in the men's 100 and 200-meter
- Offensive lineman Elijah Hardin measures 6 feet, 7 inches. It's hard to imagine a better successor to Mark Evans II. He needs to get in shape but continually bothers Hampton to get more of the playbook and has shown early signs of being a leader.
All of those players could see the field sooner than later for the Golden Lions, but one player, in particular, to keep an eye on is defensive end Kam Bizor. The Texas native (all the other signees are in-state products) was initially committed to Colorado while also holding offers from Kansas, Memphis, Texas Tech, SMU, and Houston, among others.
"I think he's a steal," Hampton said. "The guy had Group of 5 and Power 5 offers, and we were able to get him out of there."
If Bizor can bolster the defense, it'll be huge for a team that was 10th in sacks last season.
But Hampton's goal is more extensive than stats and more significant than winning. What's important to him is to graduate his players first, then establish consistency at UAPB.
"If we can get them to graduate, obviously they're gonna play really good football for us," Hampton said. "And I've been here before from 2006 to 2010; it looks like the Golden Lions have a winning program every five-to-six years. My goal here is to build a foundation that we'll be able to withstand those dry years.
"We're gonna have a great foundation in place where your kids' going to be able to compete every Saturday. I'm not putting a limit on how many wins we can get, but I will tell you this: we're going to play great offense, hard-nosed defense, and we're going to be special on special teams."
Here's to Hampton establishing a gold standard at the Golden Lions.