Purple Hogs: Allen, Brignoni, Ellis Stick Together, Sign with Arkansas

Brooks Ellis, from left, Alex Brignoni and Austin Allen, all Fayetteville High School students, pose Wednesday for a photo after they signed letters of intent to play football for the University of Arkansas.

Brooks Ellis, from left, Alex Brignoni and Austin Allen, all Fayetteville High School students, pose Wednesday for a photo after they signed letters of intent to play football for the University of Arkansas.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

— Austin Allen, Alex Brignoni and Brooks Ellis helped Fayetteville climb to the top of Arkansas high school football.

On Wednesday, the three longtime teammates officially began their quest to help the Arkansas football program climb back to the top of the Southeastern Conference.

Allen, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback; Ellis, a 6-3, 220-pound linebacker; and Brignoni, a 6-1, 195-pound free safety, were the backbone of Fayetteville’s back-to-back Class 7A state championship teams. Now, they’ll continue as teammates as each signed letters of intent with Arkansas.

“I’ve been best friends with Alex and Brooks since I was a little kid,” Allen said. “Not too many people get the chance to continue their education and play football with their two best friends beyond high school. It’s really like a dream come true.”

The trio committed to Arkansas together on May 21, and held firm to those commitments as the Razorbacks suffered through a 4-8 season and uncertainty in the program’s future. While all three said the hiring Bret Bielema and his staff was a positive, the chance to stay home was the biggest draw.

“My family has been around here for a long time, my grandfather (David Lashley) played for Arkansas and I’ve pretty much wanted to be a Hog my entire life,” Ellis said. “So I’m blessed to be able to sign the paper today.

“It’s awesome to be able to keep this process going with my friends for four more years and I’m just so blessed to have the support of so many special family and friends.”

Brignoni, the state record holder for career interceptions, could play as a safety or outside linebacker at Arkansas.

“I’ve met all the coaches up there and they’re all really awesome coaches, they’ve got great personalities and they really know the game of football,” Brignoni said. “They’re just excited for me to get up there and I’m excited to get up there with them.

“Right now they’ll start me at out at safety and we’ll go from there.”

Allen will join back up with his brother, Brandon Allen, a redshirt sophomore quarterback with the Razorbacks. The two were teammates at Fayetteville in 2010 and helped the Bulldogs to a state runner-up finish that year.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Austin Allen said. “My sophomore year in high school, I learned so much from him and I’m looking forward to getting up there and competing, and I’m ready to learn how to be an SEC quarterback.”

Allen passed for 7,813 yards and 77 touchdowns at Fayetteville. Rated as a four-star prospect by Scout.com, he will join his brother, along with Brandon Mitchell, and fellow incoming freshman Damon Mitchell as Arkansas’ scholarship quarterbacks next fall.

“I think Austin has a chance to be a big star over at the U of A and it’s going to be interesting to watch Brandon and Austin compete this thing out,” said Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton. “I know there’s Brandon Mitchell and a lot of good quarterbacks over there right now. But Brandon and Austin Allen, those two kids are special.”

Ellis, a two-time all-state selection, had 108 tackles and 11 tackles for loss as a senior, and could make an immediate impact with the Razorbacks.

“Brooks Ellis I think is a freak,” Patton said. “He’s 230 pounds right now and he doesn’t look it. But he’s going to put on more weight and his first step is just phenomenal. He can go from zero to 60 in a drop of a hat, and he’s just got an uncanny knack to not get blocked. So I really think he’s got a chance to play right away.”

Brignoni finished with 18 career interceptions and 102 total tackles last season. His 10 interceptions as a junior is also a school single-season record.

“With Alex Brignoni, you’ve got a ball hawk,” Patton said. “He’s got a great nose for the football, and he was our free safety here and was the quarterback of our secondary. He had a great high school career, and I really look for him to be moved down to that strong safety, outside linebacker position. And for a kid with his skills, he could look at some playing time, maybe not as a freshman, but pretty soon.”