HawgBeat - Newly-offered OL has high praise for Arkansas staff
2026 Lakeside offensive lineman Tucker Young had plenty of praise for Arkansas coaches after receiving an offer.
arkansas.rivals.com
After watching 2026 offensive lineman Tucker Young at Wednesday's high school camp in Fayetteville, the Arkansas coaching staff made the in-state prospect's dreams come true with a scholarship offer to play for the Razorbacks.
It's been an exciting 24 hours for the Lakeside High School product, as Young also added an offer from the Memphis Tigers on Wednesday. The chance to play for his home-state Hogs might mean a little more, though.
Standing at around 6 feet 4.5 inches tall and weighing in at 300 pounds, Young told HawgBeat his ability to move well at his size is what continues to stand out in his game.
"They like that I'm 300 pounds and I can move good," Young said. "I know how to rotate my hips and I'm just athletic for how big I am."
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and offensive line coach Eric Mateos were familiar with Young, who camped in Fayetteville last June and also visited this spring on April 12 for a practice and April 13 for the Red-White Spring Game.
Memphis offered Young after Wednesday's camp, and Arkansas special teams coordinator Scott Fountain told Young after the camp that the Hogs would be in touch.
"They contacted me after camp and told me that I did great and they were going to contact me today, and then they gave me the offer," Young said.
Offensive line coach Eric Mateos is the one who made the call to Young on Thursday to offer him a scholarship. The first-year position coach continues to prove that he can get the job done on the recruiting trail before he's even coached in an actual game with Arkansas.
"He's great," Young said. "He's the best lineman coach I've ever been around out of all the colleges I've ever been to camp to and talked to. He's a great coach."
As an in-state recruit, Young has grown up a fan of Arkansas football. He told HawgBeat that he's always been fond of the Razorbacks' linebackers, specifically former walk-on and fan-favorite Grant Morgan, who played for the Hogs from 2016-21.
Young is familiar with current players, also, including left tackle Fernando Carmona Jr., who transferred in from San Jose State over the offseason.
"I think he'll be great this year, too," Young said of Carmona. "He's a great dude."
The plan is for Young to stay at Lakeside in Hot Springs throughout his high school career, and he told HawgBeat that he doesn't have any current plans for camps and visits in the near future.
"I'm not sure yet," Young said. "I've still got to think about all that since I just got this offer. I'm just not sure about what I'm going to do after this."
