Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Arkansas has received a walk-on commitment from in-state Lamar High School tight end/athlete Blake Kern. Kern (6-6, 230) was a two-way player during his senior season hauling in 16 passes for 332 yards with nine touchdowns. He also rushed for 675 yards off 88 carries with six additional scores. On defense he tallied 61 […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The Razorbacks added another offensive/defensive line prospect to their 2016 recruiting Monday night. Depending on how National Signing Day unfolds will determine if Little Rock Christian talent Dylan Hays will be considered a signed member of the 2016 class or a grayshirt addition. Arkansas flipped Hays from his commitment to Central Arkansas but may […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The swiftly burning fuse on the powder keg that is college football recruiting is climatically inching towards the explosive Feb. 3 conclusion (cue the Mission Impossible theme song). For some programs, this is a time for feasting among college football royalty restocking the proverbial shelves with great talent that will help guide and mold […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Catching the attention of college coaches as a high school senior can be really tough. The task seemed even tougher for Harmony Grove High School two-way player Cameron Venzant, but he did it. The Hornets were 3-8 in 2014 so many coaches did not see his 863 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns scored. […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Getting a scholarship offer for most is like winning the lottery, and in many ways can draw favorable comparison with the exception of skill, hard work, and countless hours of training. All the hard work and training will not guarantee a scholarship offer making the connection between a high school recruit and college coach […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Validation for success can come in many forms, especially in high school football. Success can be a recruiting ranking, a stat line, and/or a winning record on the field. Little Rock Christian Academy running back Damarea Crockett had all of those things. The one thing that was, from the outside looking in, painfully withheld […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA After mulling over an opening for this piece. The idea for the opening was simple, truthful, and honest; watching Bentonville High School safety Logan Darby is fun to do. His highlight reel is as good as any other complete with jarring hits, a 90-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, an 80-something yard kick return […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA North Little Rock High School Class of 2016 wide receiver Tobias Enlow is on the horns of a dilemma. The 6’2”, 188 pound, receiver knows he has Division-I talent and abilities but a knee injury stopped him from showing off that next level skillset during his senior year. FBS coaches have shied away from […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA There are a few Division-I caliber Class of 2016 athletes flying under the radar in the state of Arkansas (Fort Smith linebacker Si Kilinc and North Little Rock wide receiver Tobias Enlow to name a couple) and one of the bigger recruits is Bentonville High School cornerback Tyrone Mahone. The stats, measurables, and numbers […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Tobias Enlow’s story holds true for many recruits in a given year, sadly, year after year. The drawback to any sport is injury, and injury robbed Enlow of what should have been an amazing senior year on the Arkansas high school gridiron. Simply put, Enlow has it all. At 6’2, 188 pounds, the North […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA What a difference one year has made for Fort Smith Southside’s Parker Dixon. The Class of 2017 recruit went from being a backup at about six different positions during his sophomore season to busting out with 1,212 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during his junior season. Another year on the field and in the […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Cabot High School linebacker Easton Seidl is on the verge of being a top tier recruit. Perhaps he is so close he does not even see it yet himself, but with some offseason work in a couple of easy to improve areas, he could be a big standout player in the 2017 class. Seidl […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA There are several postseason high school football all-star games every year that attract top talent from across the nation, one of those games is the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The game is held in San Antonio, Texas, at the Alomodome giving a last on the field showcase for recruits to their new prospective fan […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Much about playing team sports at any level is taking advantage of an opportunity when that moment presents itself. For Fayetteville High School Class of 2016 defensive end Eli Hale, the moment in time came during his senior year after upperclassmen had moved on allowing him the opportunity to prove his worth to Division-I […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The world has a funny way of working things out. For senior running back Kenneth Dixon, his collegiate career has been a slow and steady pace of racking up rushing yards while piling on the touchdowns. On Saturday, Dixon’s outstanding college career for Louisiana Tech came to a big, but on the grand scheme, […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA There are a few benchmarks in sports that signify an outstanding season. As a player moves up from one level to the next, each benchmark becomes harder and harder to attain where natural talent alone cannot promise a .300 batting average in baseball, 10 rebounds a game in basketball, or a 1,000 yard rushing […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Awards are nothing new for Fayetteville High School quarterback Taylor Powell but the talented Class of 2017 rising star better get used to receiving them. At the end his sophomore season, Powell had completed 172 of 271 passes for 2,513 yards with 20 touchdowns against eight picks earning Arkansas Sophomore of the Year honors […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The amount of highs school football talent in the state of Arkansas for the 2016 recruiting class is pretty amazing from top to bottom. The state is highlighted with 5-star defensive end recruit McTelvin Agim, an Arkansas Razorback commit from Hope, and continues on with next level 4-star difference makers like Boise Star running […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Stats can sometimes be misleading but the combination of stats and tape always shows the truth. One truism about the 2015 Arkansas high school football season, Si Kilinc turned in a defensive MVP kind of season for the entire state but without much fanfare. The praise is big as is the statement, but hard […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The state of Arkansas has been going through an explosion of talent at the high school level where 20 if not far more will matriculate to college playing football at the next level. The rise in talent is continuing into the underclassmen ranks bringing up the level of play for juniors and sophomores across […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA A rare feat in any sports much less at the high school level is close at hand, Bentonville senior Kasey Ford is two wins away from winning three consecutive Arkansas 7A state championships as the Tigers starting quarterback. As his storied high school playing career comes closer to being finished, his legacy as a […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA There is still a lot of football left to be played for Class of 2017 quarterback Taylor Powell but for now none of the games to be played are more important that the next four quarters that will help define Fayetteville High School’s 2015 season and perhaps continue building a legacy for the talented […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The small Arkansas town of Camden has a great reputation for developing big next level talent. Despite having a population of just over 12,000, the town tucked into the southern central part of the state seemingly produces at least one top recruit every year. Last year defensive back Byron Keaton took his talents to […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Over the last two seasons, Fayetteville High School has been one of the top football programs in the state of Arkansas. In 2014 the Bulldogs posted an 11-3 record making a run to the state title game and in 2015 head coach Daryl Patton has guided his squad to a 9-2 record with a […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Criteria for recruiting rankings are never fully revealed but when the new rankings come out for the 2017 class, Fayetteville High School standout quarterback Taylor Powell deserves to be in the national discussion. As a sophomore he helped lead the Bulldogs to an Arkansas state championship runner-up finish and has his team sitting at […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Picking a college to attend for any number of reasons just to receive an education alone can be very difficult. Add on the pressures of being a student-athlete picking the right fit not only with academics, fit in style of play, connection with campus, and relationship with various head coaches, the decision can become […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA The story of Fayetteville High School’s Akial Byers is in the early stages of development but is still a very intriguing story with the potential for an amazing ending. The 6’4”, 250 pound, junior is an emerging talent who is just starting to tap into his potential. The Bulldogs ended the 2014 season with […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA When University of Tennessee-Martin landed Catholic High School’s Andre Sale, silent commit on Thursday and public on Sunday, they added a rare leader to their mix. The Little Rock native is everything a coach at any level would want. He’s a student of the game, determined, has a great arm, and he is willing […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA On Sunday, University of Tennessee-Martin went into central Arkansas to land quarterback Andre Sale. Sale, listed at 6’2”, 195 pounds, has offers from Austin Peay and Tennessee-Martin along with interest from Arkansas, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt, and Louisville. Sale had made a couple of unofficial visits to the Razorbacks and attended one of their camps […]
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Written by Ryan Wright Twitter: @HogManInLA Life on the gridiron for Class of 2016 cornerback Kiondre Thomas has been both good and frustrating throughout the season. The Grizzlies have started 1-4 on the season with some injuries at key positions holding the team back. The good news is everyone is healthy and the Fort Smith Northside squad has five games […]
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