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FB Recruiting In-state 2024 Rivals250 QB receives Arkansas offer

NWAHutch

Hall of Fame
Staff
Apr 30, 2018
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Here's my story after catching up with Walker this morning...

The wait for an elusive Arkansas offer has come to an unexpected early end for Walker White.

After a couple of visits to Fayetteville and offers from a handful of other Power Five programs, the Little Rock Christian quarterback finally received one from his home state Razorbacks on Thursday night.

It came just a few hours after offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and tight ends coach Dowell Loggains made their way to his school that afternoon to watch the rising junior at practice.

NCAA rules prohibited them from talking to White directly, but their message to Little Rock Christian head coach Eric Cohu was the same as it has been for several months — they were going to wait on pulling the trigger.

“They knew they wanted to offer me, but Pittman wanted to see me in person first,” White told HawgBeat. “So I was just going to go to camp this summer. I was fine with that. I was going to make a way, to find a way to camp.”

However, things changed when his phone rang around 8 p.m. His coach was on the other line with news that an offer was imminent and that he should call up head coach Sam Pittman.

Sure enough, that phone call resulted in an offer from Arkansas — the school his great-grandfather (Harold “Greasy” Rees), grandfather (John Rees), uncle (John Aaron Rees) and older brother (John David) played football. His father, David, and other older brother, Zac, played golf and baseball for the Razorbacks, respectively.

“Honestly, I was just really confused just because I had been told I wasn’t going to get offered when I expected that I was going to,” White said of his emotions after receiving the offer. “So I kind accepted that, and then whenever he called me and told me I was, I was kind of in shock.

“I honestly really didn’t believe him at first. Every offer that I get, my heart just kind of stops for a second because it’s so cool to have that happen after I worked so hard for it.”

White’s older brother, John David, was a walk-on wide receiver for the Razorbacks from 2019-21 before entering the portal and landing at UCA this offseason.

That gave Walker an opportunity to get to know the coaches even before he evolved into a bonafide SEC recruit.

“They’re cool with me,” White said. “They like me, I like them. They’re a fun group. Coach Loggains, he recruits Little Rock, so I’ve talked to him quite a few times. I haven’t talked to Coach Briles as much, but I can tell I really like him.”

Ranked No. 147 overall in the Rivals250 for the 2024 class, White is on track to be the highest-ranked quarterback to come out of the Natural State since Shiloh Christian’s Kiehl Frazier — who signed with Auburn — was No. 89 overall in the 2011 class.

Although he’s listed as a pro-style quarterback on Rivals, a strong case could be made that the 6-foot-3.5, 220-pound athlete should actually be categorized as a dual-threat.

As a sophomore, he led the Warriors to the semifinals of the Class 5A playoffs while throwing for 2,010 yards and 23 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. On the ground, White — who reports a 4.6-second 40-yard dash time — added 487 yards and five scores.

“I can stay in the pocket as much as you want me to and make the throws you want me to,” White said. “I can make any throw on the field. But when it becomes necessary for me to move and get out of the pocket and run the ball, I’m a runner. I can do anything, any running that you need me to do.”

That skillset has caught the attention of several programs. After early offers from UCA and Tulsa, White has added Power Five offers from Virginia, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Mississippi State, Louisville and Pitt.

In addition to racking up offers, White has been traveling all over the place to visit potential future homes. He had a stop in Fayetteville for Junior Day and was also in town for the Texas win last season, but his spring has included other stops at Florida State, TCU, Mississippi State and Oklahoma State.

“It’s kind of surreal because I’ve always dreamed of like, ‘Oh my gosh, these college guys, they’re so cool,’” White said. “Being in contact with all these coaches is kind of weird, honestly, but I’ve talked to a bunch of different coaches and it’s just been so cool to be on the inside of all this.”

The plan is for White to commit sometime around the end of his junior season, but that’s still several months away.

Now in the heart of spring ball at Little Rock Christian, White said his focus has shifted from the recruiting side of things to his goals as a high school quarterback — which include making it further in the playoffs than their semifinal exit last year.

“This spring looks more like me just being with my teammates and kind of building up each other,” White said. “Our goal is to win a state championship, so I’m just trying to help my teammates and be with my teammates this year as much as possible just to build that connection and hopefully make it to the state championship.”

 
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