By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Cobi Hamilton’s toughest days begin at 4:45 a.m., when he stumbles out of bed and heads over to the football facilities to take part in an offseason workout.
After a long and grueling session, he’s in the classroom by 7:30 a.m. At 12:30, Hamilton said he has an hour to eat before heading back to football to work out. Then, it’s off to track.
But that’s not quite it. There can be throwing and catching with Arkansas’ quarterbacks and receivers, some meeting time, and even study hall that falls between 7 and 9 p.m.
If it sounds difficult, there’s a good reason: It is.
“There’s been a couple days where I’m like, ‘I can’t do it,’” Hamilton said. “It’s hard. But you’ve just got to stick with it. This is what I want to do. It’s why I’m still here.”
Hamilton left an impression on football fans in the fall by catching 19 passes for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns in coach Bobby Petrino’s offense, but is trying to succeed in another sport this semester. The Texarkana native has fit time into his schedule to run for Arkansas’ track team and will compete in the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships this weekend.
Hamilton is running in a talented 200-meter field, which will hold its preliminary round in the Randal Tyson Track Center on Saturday at 5:50. The finals are set for Sunday at 2:45.
He is one of several youngsters Arkansas coach Chris Bucknam is hoping will score for the Razorbacks in their search for another conference title. But either way, Hamilton is leaving an impression on Arkansas’ coaches with his ability to not only balance his schedule, but show potential in both sports.
“It’s not for everybody or else you’d see 10 more football players out here,” Bucknam said. “But it is for some guys. And if you have a talent you ought to flaunt it.”
Hamilton — who indicated he intended to run track for the Razorbacks when he signed out of Texarkana (Texas) High — joined the team as soon as Arkansas’ football season ended with the Liberty Bowl win against East Carolina. He had some impressive accolades: Hamilton didn’t run track until his junior year in high school, but won the Texas state championship in the 200 as a senior and was part of a high school 4×200-meter relay team ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Typically, the transition between two sports takes time, but Arkansas sprints coach Doug Case said he was impressed with Hamilton’s conditioning when he arrived. It was a by-product of football practices under Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino.
Four days after his first track practice, Hamilton was part of the 200-meter field for the Texas Relays. No one expected much from the newcomer, but the results were surprising.
Hamilton won the 200 by running the race in 21.25 seconds.
“I was like, How did you do that the first time?” Case said.
Hamilton, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the accomplishment, had no answer.
“It was my first time running on an indoor track, too,” Hamilton said with a laugh. “It was a surprise.”
But it wasn’t a fluke. At 6-foot-3, Arkansas’ coaches believe he has the raw talent to excel in the event if he keeps training. The technical aspects of his sprinting has plenty of flaws, but the Razorbacks are working on improvements as he gets used to the nuances of the indoor track.
Hamilton’s times have steadily improved. He ran a 21.24 at the Razorback Invitational a week later and most recently clocked 21.16 at the Tyson Invitational earlier this month.
It’s not unusual to see football players dabble in the sport at the college level. It is harder to succeed. But LSU’s Trindon Holliday and Florida’s Jeff Demps have proven SEC stars can excel in track, too, turning in decorated careers.
“Those guys never stopped the track end of it,” Case said. “They never took a year off. They never did anything to interrupt their running from high school. That’s what Cobi needs to do. To get to the level they competed at, the national championship level, he needs to stay with it.”
Said Bucknam: “He’s not a top contender, yet. But he is in their league.”
Running isn’t the problem for Hamilton. Balancing the busy schedule between football, track and school is the challenge.
Even though football is in the offseason, most of Hamilton’s time is devoted to the sport. It can be taxing. He said the Arkansas track coaches and football strength coach Jason Veltkamp work together to make sure he doesn’t break down, while Hamilton is getting a crash course in time management.
“He has days where he comes down and he’s a little tired and I just say, ‘Hey, Cobi, pack it up and go home today,’” Case said. “That’s going to happen to him every now and then. It’s a rigorous schedule, but he’s handling it very, very well.”
Hamilton said he does it because he loves it. Running track is something that grew on him soon after he was persuaded to join the team at Texarkana High as a junior.
Hamilton wants to run during the outdoor season, too, but no plan is in place, yet. He is expected to meet with Arkansas’ coaches after the NCAA Indoor Championships to discuss how he can balance both football spring practice — which begins March 30 and runs through April 24 — and compete in track.
But for now, Hamilton is just trying to notch an automatic qualifying time that would get him into the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville next month. He wants to deliver another strong performance to help his new teammates win a conference crown on the track.
“This is my first time,” he said. “I’m new to this. I imagine it’s going to be fast. I know SEC is pretty good. …
“I just want to run under 21 (seconds). I don’t care if it’s 20.99. That’s my goal. That’s my goal ever since high school.”
