FAYETTEVILLE — Kolby Smith on Thursday opened and closed his first post-practice meeting with local reporters the same way.
He apologized for his hoarse, scratchy voice. Consider it an indication that Arkansas’ new running backs coach has hit the ground running.
Kolby Smith, who played and coached in the NFL, was officially hired March 12 to replace Jimmy Smith, who accepted the same position at TCU early on in the Razorbacks’ spring drills.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said he had six coaches recommended to him for Jimmy Smith’s old post. First-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who Kolby Smith coached and played under, also recommended him.
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“Once Coach [Jimmy] Smith left, I received a text from Coach [Petrino] saying, ‘Hey, there might be an opening,’” Kolby Smith recalled Thursday. “Then he said, ‘I can get you on the phone with Coach Pittman, then you’ve just got to sell yourself from there.’
“I was able to get on the phone with Coach. We had a great conversation.”
Pittman had a few questions for him beyond Xs and Os. He wanted to know if he was a good man, if he was a family man, and if he was “going to love these kids.”
“I know he called some other guys and interviewed them,” Kolby Smith said. “[Pittman] called me that night and told me I was hired, and I was here the next day.”
He added there hasn’t been a big adjustment coming back to coach at the college level after time in the NFL. There are still early mornings and late nights.
Kolby Smith expressed appreciation for Pittman and Petrino offering him a shot to coach at Arkansas.
“For me, outside of the coaching part, I’m just grateful that [Petrino] believes in me and cares for who I am and the family that I have, and the trust,” he said. “Obviously I played for him, so it’s a little deeper, just him believing in me as a person and then inviting me to become a coach.
“I’m excited to be here under Coach Pittman. He’s a great guy, love being around him, love his energy. You can’t have a better coach to play for.”
Asked about the Razorbacks’ running backs room, Kolby Smith said his group of players are hungry for knowledge and looking to grow in the position.
“They’re working hard every day,” he added. “My standard for the room is to play with a sense of urgency, understand and know situational football and play with toughness, and be physical on every play.”
The position group includes returners Rashod Dubinion, Domonique Johnson and Isaiah Augustave, and freshman Braylen Russell and Ja’Quinden Jackson, a Utah transfer. On Tuesday, Jackson spoke highly of his new coach.
“Cool guy. He definitely knows what he’s talking about when it comes to football,” Jackson said. “He’s taking little steps just trying to get to know everybody.
“He’s definitely one of those guys I can see myself trusting and playing under.”