I didn't think much of it when Arkansas offered this guy because the Hogs aren't usually in the mix for guys like him...but after talking to him and his coach (who's also his uncle), I think the Hogs have a legit shot here...
arkansas.rivals.com
MANY, La. — It’s not often that Arkansas is in the mix for top-50 prospects, but its loyalty has it firmly in contention for a highly touted linebacker from Louisiana.
Since the pandemic-related recruiting restrictions were lifted, Tackett Curtis - a high four-star linebacker and No. 42 overall player in the Class of 2023 - has visited Fayetteville twice and seems genuinely interested in the Razorbacks.
In fact, his trip to see the Mississippi State game earlier this month was the direct result of linebackers coach Michael Scherer heading south during the bye week even though an injury kept him off the field.
“He picked to come see me on Friday night, so it really means a lot and shows that he has a lot of interest in me and a lot of love for me,” Curtis said. “When he came down here knowing that I was beat up and he still came to watch and just to see me and talk to me, it means a lot. There’s a mutual interest there with me and Coach Scherer.”
With the likes of Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC among his 40 reported offers, that kind of gesture by Arkansas can’t be understated.
Curtis’ head coach, who also happens to be his uncle, told HawgBeat that Scherer’s visit had a huge impact on the talented junior because of how much he values loyalty.
“He’s got a lot of offers, but it shows him that they’re truly (interested) and he’s important to them, he’s high on their board and he’s valued,” Jess Curtis said. “For them to come, him being a junior, to come to his game like that, it meant a lot to him. That’s why he returned the favor and went and watched them.”
Although he came up over the summer and got to see the campus, Curtis’ unofficial visit during the Mississippi State game was his first opportunity experiencing a gameday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
It didn’t hurt that the game itself was an instant classic, with the Razorbacks scoring a game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds left and then surviving a missed field goal as time expired to secure a 31-28 win.
“The SEC atmosphere is something different,” Curtis said. “It was a crazy atmosphere and the fans at Arkansas blew me away. It was a really fun game to be at, just to be a fan for the day.”
Curtis wasn’t just a fan that day, though. He was among a large group of recruits in town, but Scherer, head coach Sam Pittman and defensive coordinator Barry Odom made sure he got plenty of face time with them.
“Getting to talk with Coach Pittman and Coach Scherer and Coach Odom all day, they treated us like we were gods or something,” Curtis said. “It was kind of embarrassing the way they were treating us - I was like, ‘Dang.’
“I got there early and got to talk to Coach Pittman. He talked to us forever. I thought we would have kept going until the game started. Somebody came and got him and was like, ‘Hey, the officials have to talk to you.’ That was the only person that was going to get us out of there.”
It’s easy to see why Arkansas is going all-in to land Curtis. Standing at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he looks the part of an SEC linebacker. He also plays like it.
Playing as a safety for the Tigers, Curtis flies to the football, running downhill and seeking out the ballcarrier like a missile. Despite being at just 70 percent after not playing the previous two weeks, he made numerous tackles in Many’s 49-0 win over Independence in the first round of the Louisiana Class 2A playoffs - including one on which he lit up the running back.
“Let me tell you, all my years of coaching, I’ve never had a kid as physical,” Jess Curtis said. “He just loves the physicality of football. You saw the one play - that’s kind of what he’s done all year. That’s what he does. He loves running downhill and through people.”
It is similar to the style of current Arkansas linebackers Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool, with Jess Curtis describing him as a “throwback.”
Those three guys will be gone by the time Curtis gets to college, with Morgan and Henry playing their final year now and Pool having the potential to return in 2022 as a super senior, and there are serious questions behind them at linebacker - a position the Razorbacks have struggled to build depth at for several years.
The possibility of early playing time is certainly something Curtis is considering in his college decision.
“Right now they have three great linebackers this year,” Curtis said. “All three of them are beasts. It was something special to watch them. I know they want somebody else to carry on their tradition and be good. That’s definitely a big factor when you know there’s a spot open that they need to fill.”
Curtis isn’t the only player Arkansas is recruiting at Many, either. His teammate, sophomore Tylen Singleton, is a four-star athlete on Rivals’ top-100 watch list for the Class of 2024 and already has an offer from the Razorbacks, as well as LSU and Mississippi State.
Playing an outside linebacker/nickel position for half of the game, Singleton shifted into Curtis’ safety spot when he came out for precautionary reasons. Jess Curtis said the 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete is your traditional defensive back.
“He can really fly, can jump, leap and him being with Tackett, his physicality’s rubbed off on Tylan,” Jess Curtis said. “Tylan is going to be as big a prospect as Tackett. This spring when everybody sees his film and comes and watches Tackett, he’s going to get more.”
Singleton wasn’t able to make the trip to Fayetteville with Curtis, but he was in Death Valley and watched Arkansas knock off LSU 16-13 in overtime. He and Curtis are tight and Curtis described the possibility of playing together in college as “awesome.”
HawgBeat - Hogs are legit contenders for top-50 LB in 2023 class
HawgBeat got a chance to see Tackett Curtis in action last Friday.
arkansas.rivals.com
MANY, La. — It’s not often that Arkansas is in the mix for top-50 prospects, but its loyalty has it firmly in contention for a highly touted linebacker from Louisiana.
Since the pandemic-related recruiting restrictions were lifted, Tackett Curtis - a high four-star linebacker and No. 42 overall player in the Class of 2023 - has visited Fayetteville twice and seems genuinely interested in the Razorbacks.
In fact, his trip to see the Mississippi State game earlier this month was the direct result of linebackers coach Michael Scherer heading south during the bye week even though an injury kept him off the field.
“He picked to come see me on Friday night, so it really means a lot and shows that he has a lot of interest in me and a lot of love for me,” Curtis said. “When he came down here knowing that I was beat up and he still came to watch and just to see me and talk to me, it means a lot. There’s a mutual interest there with me and Coach Scherer.”
With the likes of Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC among his 40 reported offers, that kind of gesture by Arkansas can’t be understated.
Curtis’ head coach, who also happens to be his uncle, told HawgBeat that Scherer’s visit had a huge impact on the talented junior because of how much he values loyalty.
“He’s got a lot of offers, but it shows him that they’re truly (interested) and he’s important to them, he’s high on their board and he’s valued,” Jess Curtis said. “For them to come, him being a junior, to come to his game like that, it meant a lot to him. That’s why he returned the favor and went and watched them.”
Although he came up over the summer and got to see the campus, Curtis’ unofficial visit during the Mississippi State game was his first opportunity experiencing a gameday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
It didn’t hurt that the game itself was an instant classic, with the Razorbacks scoring a game-winning touchdown with 21 seconds left and then surviving a missed field goal as time expired to secure a 31-28 win.
“The SEC atmosphere is something different,” Curtis said. “It was a crazy atmosphere and the fans at Arkansas blew me away. It was a really fun game to be at, just to be a fan for the day.”
Curtis wasn’t just a fan that day, though. He was among a large group of recruits in town, but Scherer, head coach Sam Pittman and defensive coordinator Barry Odom made sure he got plenty of face time with them.
“Getting to talk with Coach Pittman and Coach Scherer and Coach Odom all day, they treated us like we were gods or something,” Curtis said. “It was kind of embarrassing the way they were treating us - I was like, ‘Dang.’
“I got there early and got to talk to Coach Pittman. He talked to us forever. I thought we would have kept going until the game started. Somebody came and got him and was like, ‘Hey, the officials have to talk to you.’ That was the only person that was going to get us out of there.”
It’s easy to see why Arkansas is going all-in to land Curtis. Standing at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he looks the part of an SEC linebacker. He also plays like it.
Playing as a safety for the Tigers, Curtis flies to the football, running downhill and seeking out the ballcarrier like a missile. Despite being at just 70 percent after not playing the previous two weeks, he made numerous tackles in Many’s 49-0 win over Independence in the first round of the Louisiana Class 2A playoffs - including one on which he lit up the running back.
“Let me tell you, all my years of coaching, I’ve never had a kid as physical,” Jess Curtis said. “He just loves the physicality of football. You saw the one play - that’s kind of what he’s done all year. That’s what he does. He loves running downhill and through people.”
It is similar to the style of current Arkansas linebackers Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Bumper Pool, with Jess Curtis describing him as a “throwback.”
Those three guys will be gone by the time Curtis gets to college, with Morgan and Henry playing their final year now and Pool having the potential to return in 2022 as a super senior, and there are serious questions behind them at linebacker - a position the Razorbacks have struggled to build depth at for several years.
The possibility of early playing time is certainly something Curtis is considering in his college decision.
“Right now they have three great linebackers this year,” Curtis said. “All three of them are beasts. It was something special to watch them. I know they want somebody else to carry on their tradition and be good. That’s definitely a big factor when you know there’s a spot open that they need to fill.”
Curtis isn’t the only player Arkansas is recruiting at Many, either. His teammate, sophomore Tylen Singleton, is a four-star athlete on Rivals’ top-100 watch list for the Class of 2024 and already has an offer from the Razorbacks, as well as LSU and Mississippi State.
Playing an outside linebacker/nickel position for half of the game, Singleton shifted into Curtis’ safety spot when he came out for precautionary reasons. Jess Curtis said the 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete is your traditional defensive back.
“He can really fly, can jump, leap and him being with Tackett, his physicality’s rubbed off on Tylan,” Jess Curtis said. “Tylan is going to be as big a prospect as Tackett. This spring when everybody sees his film and comes and watches Tackett, he’s going to get more.”
Singleton wasn’t able to make the trip to Fayetteville with Curtis, but he was in Death Valley and watched Arkansas knock off LSU 16-13 in overtime. He and Curtis are tight and Curtis described the possibility of playing together in college as “awesome.”
