It is safe to say Julius Coates is turning heads in Arkansas' preseason practices. The Razorbacks have not yet worked out in full pads, but the defensive end from East Mississippi Community College has received positive reviews from a number of teammates and even defensive coordinator Barry Odom. They have been colorful, too. "I go against Julius just about every day at practice," Arkansas offensive lineman Myron Cunningham said during a Zoom conference on Monday. "He's very twitchy, and for how big he is, he's got a lot of speed. "He's very athletic on the edge." Bumper Pool, a junior and the leader of the second level of Arkansas' defense, is eager to see what kind of season the transfer will put together. He took his description of Coates a step fur ther. "That kid is an animal," added Pool, second on the team with 94 tackles last fall. "He's explosive."Odom, entering his first season with the Razorbacks after spending the previous four years at Missouri, attributes that explosiveness to Coat es' training since arriving on campus. The leaders of Arkansas' strength and conditioning staff, Jamil Walker and Ed Ellis, have transformed his body. Coates is listed at 6-7, 289 pounds on the team's updated roster. He is up 14 pounds since his junior c ollege days. "He's a big, tall, long, explosive athlete," Odom added. "He's become bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, quicker, all those things. I would say if you had a before-and-after picture of what Julius looked like from the day he walked in to wher e he was when we cut loose here, he maybe transformed as much as anybody." - Northwest Arkansas Times
rSr/2023  DE Julius Coates, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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