FAYETTEVILLE — Brad Culp hopes his performance in Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Thursday carries over to the next four years.
The Fayetteville receiver and soon-to-be Arkansas walk-on had a standout performance in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Football All-Star Game, hauling in four catches for a game-high 151 yards in his West team’s 42-38 win.
“It’s pretty awesome to do that here,” Culp said. “I was so excited when I heard we were playing here. I got to play with some of the guys that will be my family members for Arkansas next year and it was good getting to get a feel for what next year will be like.”
Culp’s biggest play of the night came less than two minutes into the game when he and Bentonville quarterback Dallas Hardison hooked up on an 81-yard touchdown pass.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder beat his defender on a post route then tracked down Hardison’s throw and raced the final 40 yards untouched for the score with 10 minutes, 9 seconds left in the quarter.
“Me and Dallas have been on this week,” Culp said. “He’s got a great arm so I’m not going to take any credit for that. All I’ve got to do is run and look up and its right there every time.”
The pass play was four yards shy of the all-star game record, an 85-yard connection by the Jonesboro duo of quarterback Steve Carson and receiver Bobby Clemons in 1983.
“We were just wanting to read the safety on that play,” Fayetteville and West coach Daryl Patton said. “He jumped a dig route and left Brad one-on-one with the corner. Dallas made a great throw and Brad just outran the kid.”
The Culp-to-Hardison connection resurfaced late in the fourth quarter.
Rather than run the ball with a four-point lead and less than four minutes remaining, Hardison completed passes of 17 and 46 yards to Culp, flipping the field and allowing the West team to run the clock out.
“Brad’s used to running good routes and Dallas is used to throwing to good receivers,” Patton said. “It took them about a day or two to get used to the speed and arm strength.
“By Wednesday, I had a pretty good feeling they were going to have a good game.”
Culp had offers from Arkansas State, Ole Miss and North Carolina after finishing his senior season with 1,273 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns for the state-champion Bulldogs. He chose to walk-on for the hometown school, though.
“It’s Arkansas,” Culp said. “I’ve lived here 18 years and I’ve always been a Hog.”
Culp won’t have much time off before he’s back on the Razorback Stadium field. He will report for Arkansas’ second summer session on July 2.
“I’m going to come up here and work my butt off and get a scholarship and a spot,” Culp said. “I can’t wait.”