BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alonzo Hampton debuted last year as the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, but he said Tuesday at SWAC Media Day the Hampton era truly begins this fall.
“This is year one for us,” Hampton said. “We kinda flipped the roster. We kept the guys that wanted to be here, some really good players. We got Elijah Jenkins. We got Daemon Dawkins, guys that are invested in our program and want to see our program do well, and then the guys that we’re adding.”
When Hampton was hired following the 2022 season, he didn’t have much time to recruit before signing day. Most of the players on the 2023 roster were players who were already on campus when Hampton arrived.
Some of those players remain in Pine Bluff, but Hampton was able to recruit many new players to UAPB over the past year. By National Signing Day in February, he had signed 13 high school players and 13 college transfers, but many more have signed since.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Last year, we didn’t get a chance to really recruit the guys that we needed, but we ain’t making no excuses about that,” Hampton said. “We had a chance to win every single game. For three quarters, we were in most games. So now, adding these new pieces, all we gotta do is stay the course. Don’t get too high. Don’t get too low.”
UAPB had 61 players take part in the Black and Gold Spring Game in April, but Hampton said he will have around 102 players at the first fall practice later this month, including the high school signees. He has consistently said since February the incoming freshmen will all have a chance to compete for playing time right away.
Hampton said around 50 players have been on campus this summer, with the rest joining at the start of fall camp.
One of the returning players, senior defensive end Elijah Jenkins, said it is their responsibility to reach out to the newcomers and show them the UAPB’s standard, but he also said a lot of the newcomers already have the right mindset.
“(Hampton) recruited a lot of guys from winning programs,” Jenkins said. “He recruited a lot of guys with chips on (their) shoulders, so most of those guys like that, they love football, and it kind of blends in. Mediocre hangs with mediocre, and greatness hangs with greatness. When you see people with that type of great mindset, it always comes well. So, it hasn’t really been a problem.”
Hampton said he feels good about the roster he has constructed, but the work isn’t finished.
He said he is still looking to add a couple more players before the season starts, but even once every player who will wear a UAPB uniform this year is on campus, figuring out the depth chart will continue throughout non-conference play.
The Golden Lions open the season in Little Rock against Arkansas on Aug. 29, then have games against Arkansas Baptist, Tennessee State and Central Arkansas, followed by a bye week. The first SWAC contest will be at Alcorn State on Oct. 5, and that’s when he wants to have the team fully built. Starting jobs, he said, must be earned every day.
UAPB went 2-9 last year, though the Golden Lions had a couple of close losses. Tennessee State blocked a would-be game-tying field goal in the final minute, and Alabama A&M won a back-and-forth shootout.
Senior wide receiver Daemon Dawkins said in 2024, the Golden Lions must finish strong when they have a chance to win.
“That’s really my big thing,” Dawkins said. “We didn’t finish a lot of games last year. Coach said we (were) in every game, and we really had the opportunity to win every game. It’s just, when it came down to that fourth quarter, I feel like the other team wanted it more than we did, and we just didn’t finish. So, that’s really been the big emphasis for me that I’ve been telling our players. We just need to finish.”