LITTLE ROCK — Texas linebacker Jeremiah Tshimanga called Arkansas special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach John L. Smith recently and was told he was being offered a scholarship by the Hogs.
Tshimanga, 6-3, 224 pounds, 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of North Richland Hills, Texas, also has offers from Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor, and interest from Oregon, Alabama and others.
“I was pretty much waiting on it,” Tshimanga said. “I thought they would after the season. I’m glad they did. Arkansas is a good school and gives me another school to look at.”
Tshimanga attended Arkansas’ game against Texas -El Paso on Nov. 13.
“They have very nice facilities,” said Tshimanga, who reports a 315-pound bench press and 465-pound squat. “The weight room stood out to me. That was one of the nicest weight rooms I’ve ever seen.”
North Richland Hills Coach Eugene Weir said Tshimanga passes the eye test and has the work ethic to reach his goal of playing major college football.
“He’s very physical, very strong,” Weir said. “He’s pretty advance in the physical category for his age, and he works extremely hard at becoming better. He has the focus and he knows what he wants to be and he wants to be a college football player. He’s going to be that.”KING NEXT LUIGS?
Pulaski Academy offensive lineman Jason King is the latest Bruins lineman to draw interest from major colleges.
King, 6-4, 297, 5.2, has Arkansas, Ole Miss, Kansas,Oklahoma State and LSU eyeing him. He plans to visit the Hogs in the near future.
“I really like Arkansas,” King said. “I’ve grown up inLittle Rock and always watch them play and attended games when I get a chance. I know since Coach [Bobby] Petrino has been at Arkansas it’s turned around quite a bit. I love the atmosphere at Arkansas. The Razorback fans are crazy.”
King has impressive numbers in the weight room with a 320-pound bench press and 450-pound squat, along with a 27-inch vertical jump that allows him to dunk a basketball.
Pulaski Academy Coach Kevin Kelley said King is very coachable and has the work ethic to become a special player like former Bruins lineman Jonathan Luigs, who was an All -American and a Remington Trophy award winner for Arkansas as the nation’s top center.
“Put that together along with his physical gifts, he’s going to be very, very good.” Kelley said. “I say he’s very comparable to Jonathan Luigs.” DEVALL TO VISIT UA
Linebacker/defensive end Denzel Devall is one of the better prospects in Louisiana and is planning to visit Arkansas in a few weeks.
Devall, 6-3, 237, 4.68, of Bastrop has offers from LSU and TCU while drawing strong interest from Arkansas, Texas A&M and others. The Hogs signed defensive tackle DeQuinta “D.D.” Jones out of Bastrop in 2009 and hope to do the same with Devall.
“I like Arkansas a lot because I talk to D.D. a lot and he said it’s very nice and it’s great atmosphere and it’s like home,” said Devall, who reports a 310-pound bench press and 485-pound squat. “I’m looking forward to visiting and looking at the facilities. I know the defense is very young and they need players.”
Devall, who recorded 108 tackles and 43 tackles for loss as a junior, is impressed that Arkansas has won three of the past four games with LSU.
“That really catches my attention,” Devall said. “The Hogs are hard to beat.”
COWAN OFFERED
Olive Branch, Miss., receiver D’Arthur Cowan received a scholarship offer from Arkansas a few weeks ago after he called Razorbacks recruiting coordinator Tim Horton.
“I called him and he wanted to offer me a scholarship,”said Cowan, who reported Horton visiting his school in January. “He talked about my highlight film and how he liked it and talked about Arkansas leading the SEC in passing yardage.”
Cowan, 6-3, 170, 4.56, also has offers from Mississippi State and Memphis. He recorded 31 receptions for 658 yards and 9 touchdowns as a junior.
Cowan and his team participated in a 7-on-7 tournament at Shiloh Christian last summer.
“We were able to visit the campus and see the facilities,” Cowan said. “I was impressed. It was a fun experience.”
Cowan said he plans to make a return trip to Fayetteville in the near future.
E-mail Richard Davenport at [email protected]
Sports, Pages 19 on 02/18/2011