Update Interview with 3-Star 2021 DL Arkansas Renard Gwynn

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Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

After a big 2018 season with Memphis’ Freedom Prep High School, college football scouts throughout the region were ready to see what Class of 2021 defensive end/tackle Renard Gwynn would do during his junior year. The 6-2.5, 250-pound, standout had already earned three-star recruiting status with six offers on the table. The 2019 campaign was to be a proving year pushing his game forward against 6A Arkansas competition at West Memphis High School propelling his recruiting status forward even more. But a wrist injury suffered during the preseason cut his play on the field short to three games after surgery in mid-October.

Wrapped within the bad new is good news; Gwynn’s injury is not career threatening (as explained in the Q&A) and is only a temporary setback to what has been a successful high school career already. Gwynn will be back at it by late December ready to take on top recruits in camps this spring. Even more good news, his injury has not slowed recruiting interest. To cover it all, I sat down with Gwynn for the update on his recovery, a look inside the Blue Devils 2019 season, and received quick coverage on his recruiting.

*Click link for Aug. 17, 2019, RNG interview with Rendard Gwynn

Interview

Renard, how did your junior season go on the field?

“It went well. Arkansas has a lot of competition, even if they are not known players like in Texas and Tennessee. They play football in Arkansas; I will not lie to you. You know you have to be ready.”

How were you used this year on defense?

“Surprisingly at defensive tackle.”

How did that go?

“It went well. I am not the biggest defensive tackle. I made my way around to make plays through my injury.”

What kind of blocking schemes were you seeing against 6A offenses?

“I was seeing a lot of down blocks, clipped a few times, and taking on pulling linemen. As an end, you have more room to make moves, at tackle you are right there. You have to make an instant move right then and there, plus you might get double-teamed.”

We spoke before the season began. Then, you listed off all the things you had worked on with your game to prepare for the year. How did you see all that hard work play out on the field in terms of improvements?

“It showed a lot. My defensive line coach taught me way more than I had expected. We have some defensive plays with twists where the end goes into the B gap then the tackle goes to the outside for outside containment; that was new to me. We did a lot to confuse offensive linemen to make plays in the backfield. My speed and strength improved.”

Let’s talk about your injury for those that may not know. If you will, tell me about it and where you are at with your recovery?

“Well the injury happened before the season during a practice. At first, I thought it was a small sprain but I had fractured the proximal pole in my left hand. My left hand is also the hand I write with and my strong hand. Me thinking it was just a sprain, I continued to play. I couldn’t lay my hand flat but I thought it was just a bad sprain. My coach noticed that my wraparound was wrong and my mom took me to check it out.

“We found out it was a scaphoid injury. We got a CT scan done and found out that I had a normal wrist alignment. It was the proximal pole that was fractured and there was nonunion so I had to get an operation on Oct. 14, the day before my 18th birthday. Right now, I’m dealing with a 12 week process which includes 10 more weeks in the cast taking vitamins, working out my lower body and my upper right side, plus my academics with no writing ability.”

That is tough. I am glad you are on your way to being back on the field next season.

“Thank you.”

The injury has not slowed down the recruiting process for you. Which schools are showing interest?

“Kentucky, Wake Forest, Tulane, Air Force asked to see my transcript, Louisville, and I am getting some mail from OU (Oklahoma).”

How many offers are you holding?

“Six.”

Gwynn’s Offer Sheet: Arkansas, Memphis, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Tulane

Are there any planned visits coming up?

“I am going to Kentucky this weekend for the Tennessee game. I might be going to Orlando in December for the Under Armour All-American Game; I might be going to UCF then. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

What has you excited about the visit to Lexington?

“I am very excited. I like the energy they show there, I want to see that. I want to see what they need and who they need to make a difference.”

**Interview conducted on Friday, Nov. 8

Back to football. On Thursday, the team picked up a fourth consecutive win taking down Mountain Home 33-7. How did the game go overall?

“The team, did well in a do or die a game. Mountain Home runs the ball, the defense stepped up and stopped the run. They started off running getting three or five yards a play, but we stopped it. We recovered two onside kicks and scored off both of those possessions; that is just good coaching at the end of the day.”

What does that mean for a playoff seeding?

“After Marion beat Jonesboro, we are the second seed in our conference. We might have a bye. I’m not sure on the schedule yet. We started off rough after losing to Searcy and Sylvan Hills. Now we are looking forward to the playoffs. We are looking to make a run to the finals and win it all. We beat Jonesboro, they beat Searcy, it has been tit-for-tat within our conference. All four top teams are pretty even. There are great teams across the state.”

Renard, thanks for your time today and good luck with the recovery.

“Thank you.”

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Photo: West Memphis HS; No. 15 Renard Gwynn on the field