By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com

FAYETTEVILLE — It’s not quite clear where the idea originated.

In fact, there are a few different theories.

Arkansas cornerback Ramon Broadway swears it started when he and teammate Isaac Madison decided the defensive backs needed a catchy moniker last season. Senior D.J. Williams said he and the rest of the tight ends played a big part in starting the trend. But defensive end Jake Bequette said none of it is true — credit belongs to Arkansas defensive linemen of years past.

“I think all the other units kind of got jealous of us,” Bequette said Wednesday. “So they started their own stuff.”

It’s a subject Arkansas players will debate all day, even though there’s no hope for a agreed answer as the Razorbacks prepare to kick off the season against Tennessee Tech. But no matter who deserves credit, one thing is certain: Nicknames have spread like a wildfire around Arkansas’ program.

It’s impossible to stand near the practice field and not hear Broadway make references to the Brick Squad. Or listen to tight ends barking during Arkansas’ stretching period, living up to their claim as the Dog Pound.

Two weeks ago, offensive coordinator Garrick McGee even referred to the line by its nickname, The Union, during a post-practice interview. And Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino even got in on the act, jokingly telling Ben Cleveland during his live radio show Wednesday night that the tight ends have looked like “puppies” during some workouts this preseason.

The comment generated plenty of laughs.

But the nicknames aren’t just fun and games.

Petrino indicated there’s a deeper meaning, too.

“I think our groups have done a nice job in taking pride in their group,” Petrino said. “The DB group, the linebackers, the defensive line. That’s the fun part, you see the leadership throughout those groups and the pride they’re taking in their individual group. That’s how you build a team.”

Bequette said the theory makes sense. He believes nicknames have tightened bonds among players at each position.

“Anybody who has been around football knows that the closest you are to guys on the team is your position group,” said Bequette, who revealed the defensive line is known by one of two nicknames – Trench Hogs or The Mob. “That’s kind of how it is around here. We make an identity, announce it and have fun with it.”

Arkansas’ nicknames have originated in all kinds of ways.

The Brick Squad was created based on the fact Arkansas awards bricks to players for big plays in each game. Broadway figured the defensive backs earned the most bricks, so deserved to be called the Brick Squad.

The offensive line grabbed its nickname after position coach Chris Klenakis showed his linemen the Sylvester Stallone movie “F.I.S.T.” The movie is about a fictional labor union that bands together to accomplish its goals.

“That’s something we’ve all bought into,” Arkansas tackle DeMarcus Love said. “We go by the Union. We live by it and we die by it.”

The linebackers rubber stamped their nickname when approached by Petrino on the practice field. Petrino asked the group if it had come up with a name this preseason. Jermaine Love simply blurted out: “The Head Hunters.”

It sounds as if the wide receivers created their nickname after growing tired of hearing the defensive backs yapping on the practice field.

“Everybody is running around and cheering, but we’re just quiet,” Arkansas receiver Jarius Wright said. “We don’t have to talk about it. It’s understood with us. So we just like to call ourselves the Silent Assassins.”

Should the group truly be called by that name after Wright revealed it Tuesday? It’s uncertain. But there was little more than silence in trying to figure out what Arkansas’ quarterbacks were calling each other.

In fact, quarterback Ryan Mallett declined to answer the question when asked after Tuesday’s practice.

“We keep ours to ourselves,” Mallett said. “We don’t want to broadcast it. … So don’t ask anybody else. They might slip up.”

Too late.

“I don’t know for sure, but I know Mallett was talking about Gun Slingers or Top Gun,” Broadway said two weeks ago. “Something like that.”

No matter how they were all created, players said the nicknames are supposed to convey what the group is all about. Linebackers are expected to play fast and physical, thus the Head Hunters. The offensive line must have all five members banded together and on the same page, thus the Union.

There have been other benefits this preseason, too.

“It brings a little life to practice,” Nelson said. “When you get out there it’s quiet and Broadway will start jumping around saying, ‘Brick Squad,’ and the linebackers will be saying, ‘Head Hunters,’ and the tight ends will be saying, ‘Dog Pound.’ It just trickles on down. Once everybody gets to talking, it’s live. It’s a movement. Everybody is into practice.”

Will it make Arkansas a better team on the field this fall?

There’s no way of knowing. But the Razorbacks believe the nickname game has given players a little more pride in what they’re trying to accomplish.

So the idea, no matter who started it, appears to be paying off.

“I’m telling you, we started it,” Broadway said. “The Brick Squad thing started up and we’ve got something good going.”

Keeping Track of Arkansas’ Nicknames
Position Nickname Founder
Quarterbacks        *Gun Slingers            *Ryan Mallett
Running backs      Four-Headed Monster    Unknown
Wide receivers       Silent Assassins        Jarius Wright
Tight ends              The Dog Pound            D.J. Williams, Ben Cleveland
Offensive line        The Union                Chris Klenakis
Defensive line        Trench Hogs/The Mob    Patrick Jones
Linebackers           The Head Hunters        Jermaine Love
Defensive backs    The Brick Squad        Ramon Broadway, Isaac Madison
* According to DB Ramon Broadway, although nickname is unconfirmed

Nickname Nuggets to Consider
• Some, like linebacker/safety hybrid Jerico Nelson, can be claimed by two groups. Nelson said Wednesday he’s a member of both the Brick Squad and the Head Hunters because of the nature of his on-the-field duties.
• Groups can have subgroups. Take the wide receivers: The top four — Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton — have been referred to as the Big Four. The freshmen wideouts nicknamed themselves the Fantastic Four, too. But that nickname no longer applies after one of the four — Marquel Wade — left campus because of eligibility issues.
• At least one group has nicknames for members of the group. D.J. Williams and Ben Cleveland went about naming all of the dogs in the Dog Pound. For instance, Chris Gragg has been dubbed the Great Dane.
• Adapting to change is a must for others because of position changes. For instance, Anthony Leon moved from safety to linebacker two weeks ago. With the move, he went from the Brick Squad to the Head Hunters.