FAYETTEVILLE — Ross Rasner spent his junior season playing the jack position for Arkansas, collecting 53 tackles at a hybrid position that required him to play much more like a linebacker than safety.
But Rasner described his responsibilities a little differently this spring as he stepped into a first-team spot in Arkansas’ base defense.
“I’m a true safety now,” Rasner said. “Then in our nickel package I’m going to be coming down and playing the jack or the nickel.”
Arkansas will return to the practice field after nine days off for spring break today. When they do, Rasner will line up again with the starters on Arkansas’ back line opposite junior Eric Bennett.
The Waco, Texas, native, who played in Arkansas’ nickel package last season at jack linebacker, is being counted on in a slightly different role under new coordinator Paul Haynes. He opened the spring at safety, shifting back to a position he originally played when his Arkansas career began in 2009.
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It’s a responsibility Rasner is happy to fulfill as he prepares for a larger role with the defense.
“It’s a lot different than it was last year because I was out there for about half the snaps at nickel,” Rasner said. “But now, whenever we’re in base, I’ll go back and be the safety. So I’m excited about it.”
Arkansas believes the move will help bolster its back end, too, after the departure of seniors Tramain Thomas and Elton Ford. Bennett played well in his first season as a starter at strong safety in 2012, but depth and experience remain concerns at the positions after Daunte Carr moved to linebacker this winter and Darrell Smith transferred.
So Rasner — who spent the past couple of seasons working behind Jerico Nelson at the jack position — is getting an opportunity to work in the secondary in Arkansas’ base defense and as a nickelback.
“He’ll be doing a lot of things he’s been doing for us, but also play on the back end,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “It’s something that he’s excited about. Something that’ll be fun to see how all that plays out and develops.”
Rasner said the first two practices have been spent getting used to Arkansas’ plans under Haynes. He said Bennett has been a big help, though, describing the junior as a “great communicator” who has helped everyone in the secondary adapt to new plans.
“Some things are different, but the concepts are really the same things,” Rasner said. “We’ve just got to communicate with each other and talk everything out when we get on the field.”
Arkansas isn’t labeling either as a strong or free safety this spring. Instead, Rasner, Bennett and the rest of the safeties are simply lining up on the right and left side of the field during practices.
The primary goal, according to Haynes, is to make sure each safety understands both spots this spring.
“I think the big thing I find from it is the teaching aspect,” Haynes said before spring practice began. “Because when they sit in the room sometimes and you have a free safety and a strong safety, sometimes all they listen to is that spot and they don’t really learn the other side.”
He also said it will help with depth. Arkansas wants to find players who can rotate between the two positions in case injuries take a toll next year.
“I have done that everywhere I have been just to develop the guys,” Haynes said. “Again, it challenges them to know both spots and really when you look at the whole scheme of things, a lot of things is we do are married on both sides. They do they same things. There are only a couple of coverages that make a free a free and a strong a strong besides the field position boundary.” Rasner has a little more work to do than most because the safety positions aren’t his only duties this spring. It was clear during the first two practices. Rasner shifted down to the familiar position when Arkansas called its nickel defense, moving closer to the line of scrimmage while Jerry Mitchell joined Bennett on the back line.
The position is called the “Star” spot. And, with Haynes estimating Arkansas lining up in a nickel defense as much as “70 percent” of the time, Rasner’s experience makes him best suited for both because of his experience at jack linebacker.
But Rasner has no problem playing a variety of roles. He’s intent on helping the defense more in 2012. Arkansas believes he’ll be valuable, too.
“Ross is a very talented kid that can play a lot of spots for us,” Haynes said. “That linebacker and safety spots are spots we have to develop this spring. He can kind of do both those things so it’s going to be interesting to see where he ends up.”