LITTLE ROCK — Maryland offensive lineman Na’Ty Rodgers has narrowed his list of potential schools to five, and Arkansas is on that list.

Rodgers, 6-5, 281 pounds, 5.2 seconds in the 40-yard dash, plays for Pomfret McDonough High School and has 29 scholarship offers. Joining Arkansas on his top-five list are Washington, Maryland, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Rodgers said he plans to take official visits to all five schools, and is looking forward to visiting Fayetteville.

“The one thing that’s missing is seeing the campus,” Rodgers said. “That’s what it is, the campus and the dorms and stuff. All of the reviews I’ve heard about the town and about the fans and the support staff and the coaching staff, everything is really adding up down there.

“So the only thing left for me to do is to see it.”

Rodgers’ father, Tyrone, was a defensive lineman at Washington before playing three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. The good reviews about Arkansas came from several sources.

“I’ve been talking to some people, like my dad’s friends that have visited Arkansas,” Rodgers said. “Pretty much some older people in general.”

Rodgers has outstanding athletic ability for a big guy, which he attributes to growing up playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse during his freshman and sophomore years.

Those skills have caught the attention of CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who has invited him to play in the 2013 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Los Angeles.

“I think he’s one of the more athletic offensive linemen in the country,” said Lemming, who has been covering national recruiting for more than 30 years. “He’s a legit four-star player with quick feet, a real smart kid, and a very good all-around athlete. “

Rodgers said he also appreciates the way Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis has recruited him.

“He told me everything I needed to know, other than really talking about winning this or winning a game or if you’re going to play,” Rodgers said. “It was more about where I would be living and my major and stuff like that. He was just being straight and honest with me, and that’s really what got me.”

CORNERBACK ‘SPECIAL’

Junior college cornerback Carroll Washington orally committed to Arkansas earlier this week, and his coach at Salinas (Calif.) Hartnell College said the Razorbacks are getting a special player.

Washington, 5-11, 180, 4.4, picked Arkansas over offers from nine other schools, including Texas Tech, Rutgers, Mississippi State and Kansas.

“Athletically, he’s a pretty special player,” Coach Matt Collins said. “He’s just a great athlete with fluid transitions. He really does a great job of snapping those hips and changing directions well. He’s a very nimble guy who has great eye-hand coordination.”

Collins, who also coached Arkansas fullback and linebacker Kiero Small, said Washington and Small have similar leadership skills.

“Carroll Washington is a respectful young man to begin with, so you’re getting a good kid off the field,” Collins said. “He’s a team guy. He’s a respectful kid that can carry a conversation similar to Kiero’s style. He’ll look you in the eye and shake your hand firmly and be able to have a good conversation. He’ll go out of his way to make sure that when you’re talking to him that he’s listening.”

E-mail Richard Davenport at [email protected]

Sports, Pages 28 on 08/12/2012