LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ explosive offense and penchant for playing freshmen are two of the main reasons one of the nation’s top receivers has the Razorbacks among his top five and plans to take an official visit to Fayetteville for the Alabama game.
Quinta Funderburk, 6-4, 205 pounds, 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith, has more than 20 scholarship offers from schools like Alabama, Southern Cal, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and others, but he has narrowed his list to Arkansas, Florida, Penn State, Michigan and West Virginia.
Arkansas’ offense, which led the SEC in passing yardage last year, and getting to know its coaches — graduate assistant Marty Biagi, offensive coordinator Garrick McGee and Coach Bobby Petrino — have helped the Hogs remain high on Funderburk’s list.
“I like Arkansas because they throw the ball a lot,” said Funderburk, who called Arkansas on Wednesday to talk to Petrino, McGee and Biagi. “I like them because I’ve built a good relationship with the coaches — Coach Biagi, Coach McGee, and I like talking to Coach Petrino, too.”
Funderburk, who caught 62 passes for 1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior, is one of the elite receivers in the nation, according to CBS College Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
“He’s a great athlete,” said Lemming, who has covered the national recruiting scene for more than 30 years. “He has All-American potential on both sides of the ball. He’s one of the better players in the state of Virginia. He’s a big-time guy. He’s big, fast and athletic, and he’s productive.”
Biagi helped get the ball rolling in Arkansas’ quest to sign Funderburk.
“From the very beginning when Arkansas came into the picture, he sounded like a nice guy and a good person to talk to,” said Funderburk, who plans to graduate in December and enroll in college in January. “Whenever I needed to talk to him, he was there, and we’ve built a great relationship.”
Arkansas has played more than 30 freshmen during Petrino’s first two years.
“That made me feel real good,” Funderburk said. “That’s one of the factors in me picking a college, playing time. I want to play early. “
Funderburk said he learned of Arkansas’ offensive philosophy by talking with Petrino.
“He was telling me how he wants me,” Funderburk said. “He was telling about FTS, feed the studs.”
DRIVE PAYS OFF
Defensive end/linebacker Brock Haman’s efforts — which included driving more than 1,200 miles to participate in Arkansas’ junior/senior prospect camp July 17 — paid off Wednesday morning when he received a scholarship offer from the Razorbacks.
Haman, of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro, also has scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, New Mexico State and Idaho and is drawing interest from Oregon, Nebraska, UCLA and others.
He called Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis and learned of the news.
“He said, ‘We’re going to offer you a full-ride scholarship to Arkansas, and we want to get you out here and be a Razorback,’ ” said Haman, who worked out at tight end and linebacker at the camp. “It was definitely a good morning. I was ecstatic.”
Haman, 6-3 1 /2, 230 pounds, 4.61, was less than 100 percent last year when he played with a left hip injury, but he still managed 26 catches for approximately 500 yards. He scored 4 touchdowns at tight end. He also had 50 tackles and eight sacks at linebacker.
“Arkansas is amazing and I loved it, especially after I started talking to Coach K,” Haman said. “It’s pretty much the only school I’ve visited other than the Arizona schools. That shows how much I like it. Once I went out there, I liked it more after I saw the facilities and met the whole coaching staff.”
Haman, who said he hopes to make a decision before the start of his season, said Arkansas and Oregon State are at the top of his list, which also includes Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA.
GETTING EARLY START
Arkansas commitment Austin Beck of Nowata, Okla., recently decided to graduate in December and enroll at Arkansas in January so he can participate in spring practice.
Beck, 6-8, 300 pounds, 5.3, said he took algebra II in summer school so he could graduate early.
“I feel like it’s the right decision,” said Beck, an offensive/defensive lineman. “I don’t think I’ll miss much in high school.
“The coaches at Arkansas were glad to hear it. They said I can still go back and walk and go to the prom.”
FACILITIES IMPRESSIVE
Fullback/linebacker Trevon Pendleton of Portsmouth, (Ohio) West attended camps at Cincinnati, Ohio State, Bowling Green, Toledo and Michigan State before participating in Arkansas’ junior/senior prospect camp.
Pendleton, 6-0, 231 pounds, 4.58, has scholarship offers from Ball State and Air Force and is drawing interest from Arkansas, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU and others.
“I’ve been to Ohio State and everywhere,” Pendleton said. “Arkansas, facilitieswise, is the nicest place I’ve ever seen. Their facilities are amazing.”
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Sports, Pages 21 on 07/30/2010