Bentonville High School is just 23 miles up the road from the University of Arkansas, and Razorback offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino recently made that trek to deliver a scholarship offer to 2026 wide receiver Blair Irvin III.
The good news came on the morning of Jan. 7, and it made Irvin the 10th in-state recruit in the 2026 class to receive a scholarship offer from Arkansas.
"My first period of class, I got called out," Irvin told HawgBeat. "He came up to the school and him and my head coach were in the office. I went up to the facility and we were talking like normal stuff, casual conversation about his coaching career and what they offer and bring to the table.
"At this moment, I didn't know that I was going to receive the offer. It was more of just a good conversation with Coach Petrino. He basically said he was going to offer me a full ride scholarship. It's an offer I've been waiting for, obviously, because it's my home state."
Petrino is familiar with Irvin, who goes by "Tre." Back on Nov. 8, the Hogs' offensive coordinator made an appearance at Bentonville's 42-13 win over Bentonville West.
"It was hardcore raining, so he couldn't stay for the whole game, but he planned on staying for the whole game," Irvin said. "He came to watch me warm up actually, and I had no idea. I was warming up and I looked over and saw Petrino, so that was a good feeling. Fast forward, he said before he offered me that he really didn't have to see much after I warmed up and he liked what he saw."
Irvin caught 50 passes for 850 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior in 2024. He made all-state in the 7A classification and helped lead Bentonville to the 7A state championship game, which the Tigers dropped to Bryant. He said Petrino complimented him during their discussion Jan. 7, but also told him what to work on.
"He had all good things to say about me," Irvin said. "He said with every freshmen they need to work on their lower half going up to the next level, and I'm going to work on that. He said he liked the way my change of direction was, my quickness and he'd love to have me up for a visit."
Part of Petrino's recruiting pitch was a natural result of fielding a top-10 total offense in the country, plus having wide receiver Andrew Armstrong lead the SEC with 78 catches for 1,140 receiving yards and one score in the 2024 regular season.
"This year, Armstrong made a big impact for Arkansas and I liked the way he played," Irvin said. "He was leading the SEC in receiving yards and that caught my eye, so when I went to the games, I watched him. He's a smooth receiver, gets in and out of his breaks and he can catch the ball."
Another benefit for Petrino is having former Bentonville Tiger receiver CJ Brown on the roster as a true freshman in 2024. The former three-star recruit caught four passes for 50 yards in the Hogs' Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech, and he'll be right in the mix with a strong group of transfers to contribute next season.
"When I was a sophomore and freshman, (Brown) kind of took me in and showed me the ropes of recruiting," Irvin said. "Obviously I had no offers at the time and everyone gets down about that. He told me to just keep my head up and they'll come, because he saw the talent.
"I've always looked to him when it comes to football and asking questions when it comes to recruiting, and he gives me all the answers. He's been a good friend. Even when he is still at Arkansas, we still stay in touch, play the game. We have a good relationship."
Irvin credited his position coach, Rod Washington, for the Tigers producing talented wide receivers. Washington was promoted to offensive coordinator by Bentonville on Jan. 15.
"One thing about him, he'll never give us props," Irvin said. "He'll never tell us we're good. He's going to work us like we're not top tier athletes. He's hard on us. CJ was committed to Arkansas and right when he committed to Arkansas, coach treated him like he was an SEC receiver. He won't let us skip a rep. We've got to do everything by what he says. It's super demanding. Off the field, he's a great guy. Even on the field, he's a great guy."
Though he has lived in Bentonville for a majority of his life, Irvin probably wouldn't call himself a Razorback fan. He said he has never really had a favorite team, but he does root for individual players. Two former Hogs that he said he's enjoyed watching include Armstrong and Jadon Haselwood.
Irvin said he plans to be on campus this weekend for the Razorbacks' second Junior Day of the month. The hope is to continue to build a relationship with wide receivers coach Ronnie Fouch while he's there.
"I haven't talked to him a lot," Irvin said. "Through CJ, I've talked to the previous receivers coach more than him, but I plan on building that relationship more. He called me the day before I got offered and kind of just told me that Petrino would be up there and for me to let him know when I got the good news. Right after the offer, I called him. He's a great guy."
Irvin also holds offers from Arkansas State, Kansas State, Minnesota and UNLV.
