UAPB setting tone to turn defense around under Thomas, Navarro

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions are looking to beef up their defense this season in order to have more success than last year. In 2017, UAPB finished 10th in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total defense, which was good for last. They finished 10th in pass defense, 9th in scoring defense and 9th interceptions.

UAPB first-year Head Coach Cedric Thomas comes over from Alcorn State University, where he served as their Defensive Coordinator, so the area where UAPB lacked at the most is his strong point. Thomas is very engaged in what the defense is doing, and he’s on the same page as his Defensive Coordinator Juan Navarro.

Thomas brings a certain energy to practice, and he said he does it so that the players can feed off of it; so far the defense has done as such. The case with a lot of the players on defense is that they were there last year, but they might not have been positioned for success. A prime example is this staff’s decision to move senior defensive back Rico Merriweather from safety, where he played last season, to cornerback this fall.

“I think it just starts with leadership,” Thomas said. “When you look at the faces and the film from last year, a lot of these guys played. They weren’t always put in the best position to be successful, but that’s our job as a coaching staff. Defensively, we take on the temperament of the coach, and I don’t do it for show, but I feel like I have to be the one to have the juice. I’m blessed to have this opportunity coming from where I’ve come from, so you’ll see me jumping around having fun.”

CONTINUE READING