LITTLE ROCK — Jared Collins decided to head to Arkansas to play football partly because one of his high school’s most notable alumni was walking through the halls doing his recruiting.

But even when Garrick McGee left Arkansas last December to become coach at Alabama-Birmingham, Collins’ interest never waned.

“When it started, it was like he was one of my coaches,” said Collins, a freshman cornerback from Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School. “He went to the same school, and he was basically watching over me. When he left, yeah, it hurts a little bit. But I understood what he was doing.”

Collins’ high school coach, Darrell Hall, said Collins must add strength to his 6-0, 160-pound frame, but if he does there is no reason to think Collins can’t contribute immediately and have a career similar to McGee, who was a quarterback at Arizona State and Oklahoma before going into coaching.

Kansas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were among those who showed interest in Collins, who ultimately chose Arkansas over an offer from Tulsa.

Collins’ lack of attention, Hall said, can be attributed to the talented team he played on as a junior. The 2010 Booker T. Washington team won Oklahoma’s state title in Class 5A, its second-largest division, and was stocked with five players who signed Division I scholarship offers, including Tyler Lockett, who was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year last year as a wide receiver.

“When you’re a part of a talented class, it’s hard to get on the field,” Hall said. “He got on, but those other kids were making those plays and it’s hard to get noticed when you’re not making those plays.

“I’ve said to him, ‘You’ve got all it takes, but when they turn the film on, they want to see some plays.’ When you fall on a great class that has some great athletes that can play, you just kind of find your spot.”

Collins showed McGee and other Arkansas coaches enough as a senior, when he made 79 tackles while also catching 11 passes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 17 carries for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns and returned punts.

He began practice with the Razorbacks this week trying to carve his spot into a cornerbacks group that includes nine other players, but only two — Tevin Mitchel and Darius Winston — who played in a game last year for Arkansas.

Hall said he believes Collins’ long arms will help his transition from being a safety in high school to a cornerback.

“He’s got length,” he said. “A lot of times you get those corners trapped on those big, tall receivers and when you got those big ones who can jump, it’s a good position for him.”

Arkansas’ presence in Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma should remain strong, Hall said, even without McGee there to walk through familiar hallways.

Along with Collins and Keon Hatcher, another Arkansas newcomer from suburban Tulsa, safety Eric Bennett (Booker T. Washington), linebacker Terrell Williams (Tulsa Union), guard Alvin Bailey (Broken Arrow) and defensive tackle Robert Thomas (Muskogee) are all from the area not too far west of the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.

“I believe the connection will stay,” Hall said. “There are kids here that would love to get an offer from them. They’re holding out on some others and seeing if Arkansas will offer them.”

Sports, Pages 21 on 08/04/2012