Travis Williams shares mindset that Arkansas' defense will play with

Sam Pittman finally made his defensive coordinator hire, bringing in Travis Williams from UCF. This came even after reports that the job was going to go elsewhere.

Travis Williams is an Auburn man, having played linebacker there before later getting his start as a GA there. He spent several years working his way up the ranks under Gus Malzahn. When Malzahn took the UCF job, he brought Williams with him.

Arkansas offers Travis Williams a chance to be a defensive coordinator in the SEC. It’s a great opportunity for him to advance his career and it’s one he wants to take advantage of. At his introductory press conference, Williams explained the mindset he wants his defense to play with.

“We’re going to get to the ball,” Travis Williams said. “Alright, we’re gonna get to the ball. We’re gonna play intimidating defense. You’re going to see the guys play hard. So, one of the best things you can get from a coach–from the opposing coach–your guys played hard.”

For Travis Williams, getting his players to play hard and physical is the key to the game. If there’s one takeaway he wants fans, media, and opponents to have from watching Arkansas, it’s that they play hard.

“You know, so when you watch us, we’re gonna play hard, we’re gonna play physical. We have that mental and physical toughness that you need to play. You know, we’re gonna get our tail to the ball, and it’s gonna be sound. It’s gonna be sound defense. But, at the same time, when teams watch us, they want to watch us and say okay, those guys play hard and they play physical.”

At that point, Sam Pittman stepped in to say that he’s watched every UCF game from this season and that he was impressed by Travis Williams’ playcalling. He even said that Williams scared him a little bit because of how aggressive his playcalling has been.

Sam Pittman on trying to confuse the media

While hiring Travis Williams, Sam Pittman wanted to try and confuse the media. In particular, he wanted to confuse those who track planes. So, he never flew directly to who he was going talk to about the job.

“Basically, I flew from Baltimore. Well, here they are. Can I say, or no? I flew from Baltimore, who y’all thought–not y’all but somebody’s tracking the plane. I was going to hire the guy from Maryland, which bless his heart, he had to deal with that,” Sam Pittman explained.

“I flew from there to Tampa because I knew y’all was flying the plane, or tracking the plane. UCF is in Orlando. So, I flew to Tampa. He met me over there. We visited.”