FAYETTEVILLE — Tenarius Wright said he playfully prodded Arkansas’ coaches in the offseason, telling them he wanted to move to middle linebacker for the Razorbacks in 2012.
Four-year starter Jerry Franklin was gone. The Razorbacks were looking for new leaders. And Wright, who came to Arkansas as a linebacker before moving to defensive end, believed he could step into the position as a senior.
It may have taken a spring-ending pectoral muscle injury to senior Alonzo Highsmith, but Wright has gotten his wish.
“It’s a dream come true,” Wright said Wednesday. “So I’m trying to live it.”
Wright lined up at linebacker for the third straight practice Wednesday, stepping into a position that is Arkansas’ biggest defensive need this spring. The Razorbacks turned to the Memphis native after Highsmith suffered the injury during a weight-lifting session the day before practice began. So Wright is readjusting to a position he played in high school.
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Defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said Wednesday it’s much more than an experiment, too. He said Wright is “full-time right now” at linebacker as the Razorbacks gauge whether he’s the right fit. But Haynes believes Wright does have the tools needed to perform at the spot.
“The big thing is in your Mike backer you want a thumper,” Haynes said. “You want a guy that can sit there and take on the (isolation). I think you also want a great leader. He sets it for us. He calls the defense and everything. “Those are the things you look for out of a Mike backer and that was one of the reasons why the move happened because Tank gives us that.”
Wright is one of the most experienced members of Arkansas’ defense after collecting nine sacks and 20 tackles for losses in his career. But the Razorbacks feel comfortable with their depth at defensive end, which also helped make the move possible before spring break.
Chris Smith, Trey Flowers and Austin Flynn are battling for first-team spots. Colton Miles-Nash, Horace Arkadie and Darrell Kelly-Thomas are also competing for playing time.
“He’s excited,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said before spring break. “He’s always been a great team player for us. But I think in his heart that’s what he wants to play anyway.”
There has been plenty of adjustment.
For starters, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Wright said he’s working to get in better condition in order to run sideline-to-sideline as a linebacker. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way during his first practice at linebacker, which ended with Wright hugging a trash can.
“I’m not really tied up fighting a guy every snap, so it’s more running,” Wright said. “More cardio, endurance. More just running sideline-to-sideline every play. It’s challenging, but I’m taking it full speed.”
Pass coverage is another area that will take some time getting used to. But linebacker coach Taver Johnson said it’s nothing unusual.
“He needs quite a bit (of work), but we all do,” Johnson said. “He’s not alone in that. “He has a really good feel. Our ends, he’s dropped into coverage. He’s done some different things that way. Now he’s just doing it from a two-point as opposed to a three-point stance.”
Miles-Nash said Wednesday he was initially surprised to see Wright make the move to linebacker, but knew he wanted to play there.
Linebacker Matt Marshall said he wouldn’t be shocked if it became his permanent position.
“Tank can play that middle linebacker or inside linebacker,” Marshall said. “He can play whatever linebacker. Tank is just an athlete. “It’s good to have him there with experience.”
Arkansas is leaving its options open with Wright for now. He will get his first game-like work at middle linebacker on Friday, when the Razorbacks hold their first scrimmage.
Haynes said the current plan is to keep him at linebacker the rest of the spring. Then the Razorbacks will decide if it’s best to keep him there, teaming with Highsmith next season.
“We’ve got him on film at (defensive) end, so we can always move him back,” Haynes said Wednesday. “But if he can sit there and become our mike, it’d be good for us.”
That is Wright’s goal this spring. He feels comfortable at linebacker after playing it in high school and called it a “blessing to go back” after moving down to defensive end.
So he’s trying to make it his home in 2012.
“I didn’t wish anything on Highsmith getting hurt,” Wright said Wednesday. “But since the move has been made all I can do is try to be the best mike linebacker Arkansas has had.”