THE RECRUITING GUY

Rutgers transfer savors Hogs fans, Anderson

Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson signals to his players during the second half against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson signals to his players during the second half against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

The Arkansas fan base made a big impact on point guard Jerome Seagears during his official visit over the weekend, so much so he insisted his appreciation be heard.

“Make sure you put in the newspaper to all the Arkansas fans, I said, ‘Woo Pig Sooie,’ ” said Seagears. who is tranferring from Rutgers.

Seagears, 6-2, 175 pounds, made the decision to leave the Scarlet Knights after the firing of Coach Mike Rice when video showed outbursts from him and an assistant coach against players during practice.

Seagears’ enthusiasm stems from his dining experience at a local Fayetteville restaurant Saturday evening.

“Oh man, that was crazy,” Seagears said. “The fans in there were going crazy. It was definitely a good experience. If I could, I would thank all the fans. I would call them one-by-one for that. If I become a Razorback, I definitely want to go to that restaurant.”

Seagears made an official visit to Auburn before his trip to Arkansas. He’ll announce between the two schools Wednesday morning.

As a freshman, Seagears started 25 of 32 games for Rutgers and 19 of 31 games as a sophomore while averaging 6.5 points and 2.6 assists per game. He was rated the nation’s No. 23 point-guard prospect by ESPN in 2011 coming out of Red Springs (N.C.) Flora McDonald Academy.

“I definitely think it was a great visit,” Seagears said. “I met the whole coaching staff and met some of the players. I saw Bud Walton arena.

That’spretty amazing right there with 20,000 [fans]. I’ll always keep that in mind when I have to think about when I’m making my decision.”

Seagears’ coach in high school, Derrick Bond, said Friday that Seagears’ relationship with the head coach would be a deciding factor in his choice of schools.

Seagears said Coach Mike Anderson was the most impressive part of the visit.

“Just how he’s a very genuine guy,” Seagears said. “Just looking back at when he was at UAB and his whole track record, it’s just amazing how he came so far and he’s apparently going to go farther. I think that’s a pretty good quality when you’re a head coach. I think he’s going to big things at the University of Arkansas.”

ANOTHER MILITARY MAN

Arkansas signed safety Tiquention Coleman out of Georgia Military College in December, and now the Hogs are back recruiting his good friend, defensive lineman DaVonte Lambert.

Lambert, 6-3, 276 pounds, 4.81 seconds in the 40-yard dash, estimates having about10 scholarship offer from schools like Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Miami while drawing strong interest from the Razorbacks. He said Coleman has bragged about theHogs.

“He told me about the atmosphere,” Lambert said. “That’s what I really think about of what he said. He said the fans were great. They treat them like a king. For that to be his first year to be up there that’s real big.”

Lambert said defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is expected to visit the school today.

“He said he watched my film and he said he loved my film and likes how I play and he wants me to be a Razorback,” Lambert said. “When I called him for the first time, he was real energetic. He sounds like he’s a great guy. He has a great personality.”

Lambert, who played at Burke County High School in Waynesboro, Ga., before attending junior college, recorded 20 tackles, 2 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and 1 pass breakup in eight games last year. He plans to visit Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia and possibly Miami this summer.

Lambert said he was clocked at 4.54 seconds in the 40 in high school but was hampered by a hamstring injury when he was timed at 4.81 seconds at Georgia Military.

“When I run this year, hopefully I’ll get in the 4.5 range,” he said.

EAST COAST GUY

Running back Johnathan Thomas, who received a scholarship offer from Arkansas about two weeks ago,said he’ll most likely visit the Hogs within the next two weeks.

Thomas, 5-11, 205, 4.47, of Danvers, (Mass.) St. John’s Prep, rushed for 1, 812 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior. The scholarship offer from the Razorbacks is his first from a SEC team.

He also has offers from Boston College, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Holy Cross.

E-mail Richard Davenport at [email protected]

Sports, Pages 21 on 04/30/2013

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