Arkansas hosted a slew of talent from the state of Tennessee today. I'll be posting post-visit updates here throughout the afternoon:
Knox loved what he heard from the coaching staff in terms of how he'd fit into the offense. They used Martavis Bryant and Sammy Watkins as two examples of what he could become, and that was obviously a hit with him. He said the visit was an eye-opening experience and that Arkansas is definitely on the climb under Chad Morris. The thing that blew him away, he said, was when Morris addressed the group and chose to talk about being a better man, husband and father instead of talking football. Knox told me he'll definitely be back for a practice in a few weeks.
Washington said that while he hasn't created a top list of schools yet, Arkansas sits at the top after today's visit and the Hogs will receive one of his official visits. He's been impressed with his lead recruiter, John Chavis, who told him he can come in and play early. His highlight of the trip was putting on a No. 5 jersey and taking pics.
Mattison told me Arkansas offered two days ago and is his No. 1 school as of today. He has other offers from Tennessee, Memphis and Austin Peay. He said the staff told him he's got the potential to be out of college and into the NFL in three years. He was surprised to learn how "beautiful and big" Arkansas is because he anticipated it being a lot different.
Otey said the visit definitely raised Arkansas' chances because, like Mattison, he had no idea it would be as nice as it is. He said the reason he tweeted that Arkansas has something special going on is because of the love between the players and coaches. He also appreciates that it's more than about football at Arkansas. He hopes to have a decision sometime around the start of the season.
Wilhoite said the only place he can compare Arkansas to is Ohio State, because he feels like both coaching staffs are unique in that they actually mean what they say, and that's not the case with most other schools. He was blown away by the facilities and impressed to learn that Arkansas actually claims three home stadiums, including Cowboys Stadium. He'll have a top ten later this summer and Arkansas will be included.
Thomas visited with three other teammates and came away particularly impressed by the strength and conditioning program under Tru Carroll. He said Carroll was blunt in asking him, "If you're not going to play fast and be healthy, why come here?" Carroll also told him that most programs just want to turn guys into body builders, but that's not the case at Arkansas. Their goal is to put you into the league. He also said that he believes the Hogs have something special brewing in Fayetteville.
3:10 UPDATE:
Anderson, like so many others, was pleasantly surprised by what he found at Arkansas and said "this helped them a lot." He was particularly impressed with how the staff made him feel so wanted and needed in Fayetteville. He'll make a mid-summer decision.
Knox loved what he heard from the coaching staff in terms of how he'd fit into the offense. They used Martavis Bryant and Sammy Watkins as two examples of what he could become, and that was obviously a hit with him. He said the visit was an eye-opening experience and that Arkansas is definitely on the climb under Chad Morris. The thing that blew him away, he said, was when Morris addressed the group and chose to talk about being a better man, husband and father instead of talking football. Knox told me he'll definitely be back for a practice in a few weeks.
Washington said that while he hasn't created a top list of schools yet, Arkansas sits at the top after today's visit and the Hogs will receive one of his official visits. He's been impressed with his lead recruiter, John Chavis, who told him he can come in and play early. His highlight of the trip was putting on a No. 5 jersey and taking pics.
Mattison told me Arkansas offered two days ago and is his No. 1 school as of today. He has other offers from Tennessee, Memphis and Austin Peay. He said the staff told him he's got the potential to be out of college and into the NFL in three years. He was surprised to learn how "beautiful and big" Arkansas is because he anticipated it being a lot different.
Otey said the visit definitely raised Arkansas' chances because, like Mattison, he had no idea it would be as nice as it is. He said the reason he tweeted that Arkansas has something special going on is because of the love between the players and coaches. He also appreciates that it's more than about football at Arkansas. He hopes to have a decision sometime around the start of the season.
Wilhoite said the only place he can compare Arkansas to is Ohio State, because he feels like both coaching staffs are unique in that they actually mean what they say, and that's not the case with most other schools. He was blown away by the facilities and impressed to learn that Arkansas actually claims three home stadiums, including Cowboys Stadium. He'll have a top ten later this summer and Arkansas will be included.
Thomas visited with three other teammates and came away particularly impressed by the strength and conditioning program under Tru Carroll. He said Carroll was blunt in asking him, "If you're not going to play fast and be healthy, why come here?" Carroll also told him that most programs just want to turn guys into body builders, but that's not the case at Arkansas. Their goal is to put you into the league. He also said that he believes the Hogs have something special brewing in Fayetteville.
3:10 UPDATE:
Anderson, like so many others, was pleasantly surprised by what he found at Arkansas and said "this helped them a lot." He was particularly impressed with how the staff made him feel so wanted and needed in Fayetteville. He'll make a mid-summer decision.
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