PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Swagger, moxy, and intensity— those are just a few words used to describe what a football practice is like for the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions.
Wide receivers aren't afraid to do a little dance in the endzone after scoring on their teammates. Defensive linemen also don't shy away from giggling when a teammate has to run because he didn't finish the drill.
Even coaches will sometimes dance with their team surrounding them in hopes of hyping up the team.
"At the beginning of each team meeting, Coach [Alonzo] Hampton tells us to have fun. So that's what we come out and do," said senior quarterback Mekhi Hagens.
It's all part of a culture that head coach Alonzo Hampton has been trying to change in his second year with the program.
Last season, UAPB couldn't have been having much fun.
The Golden Lions finished with just two wins on the year: a narrow 21-20 win over non-conference foe Miles in week three and a 35-34 come-from-behind victory over Texas Southern to close out the season.
Coach Hampton's squad was just a couple of points away from a winless season.
But, in the offseason, UAPB gained a plethora of new talent via the transfer portal and high school. Hampton explained that while the influx of new guys is good, it's up to the returners to lead the team.
"[For] the guys that are returning, just understanding how close you have to be as a group, and you just got to be able to weed out the guys that are not all in," Hampton described. "We talked about sacrifice. I think that's been the most important thing for us. In order to be champions, everybody has to make that sacrifice."
As with any football team, you can't mention sacrifice without talking about the quarterback.
For the Golden Lions, that's Mekhi Hagens. After inconsistent play in 2023 due to injuries, he said that he's now ready for this season to be the year that his team proves the skeptics wrong.
"A lot of people [are] doubting us. Everybody thinks we're just a run-over team and we're not this year. We're gonna go out and compete and win," Hagens described.
The quarterback had his facts straight when he said that people were doubting them.
At last month's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) media days, the Golden Lions were picked to finish second-to-last in their division. Not only will UAPB have a challenge in its own conference, but they've got their hands full in the non-conference as well.
However, no challenge is bigger than their season opener on August 29 against Arkansas at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. When asked about the big game against the Hogs, Hagens said that his team will be ready to go.
"[We] just gonna be ourselves, be UAPB, go out there and compete," Hagens said. "We're not gonna lay down just because they're SEC and we're SWAC. We bleed just like they bleed."
"Everybody thinks they can play in the SEC right? So we'll get a chance to go out there and put our guys on that stage and see who can perform. And we got about another 15 days to put this thing together, and then we're gonna see what the chips say," Hampton added.