Offensive line commitment Josh Allen of Jacksonville (Fla.) University Christian arrived Friday in Fayetteville for his official visit and his first look at the University of Arkansas.
Allen, 6-3, 302 pounds, 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash, signed with North Carolina in February but was denied admittance. He orally committed to Arkansas sight unseen.
Allen said Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman and the attention he received from Razorback fans on Twitter influenced his decision.
"Once Coach Pittman came down, I saw his personality, his love for the game, his love for the players and his love for Arkansas," said Allen, who had more than 20 scholarship offers and will enroll in January.
Allen said he relates well with Pittman.
"He is old-school, and I like old-school people because I can relate to them more than I could a younger coach," said Allen, one of eight prospects who will wrap up their official visits today. "Younger coaches are fine, too, but he is just a great guy."
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and Pittman made an in-home visit Dec. 1 and received another one from Pittman this week.
"It was awesome," Allen said. "It means a lot when the head coach goes out of his way to come see you."
GRAGG STILL SOLD
Dumas tight end Will Gragg, an Arkansas commitment, took an official visit to Ole Miss on Nov. 28-30 for the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State and admits he was tempted by the Rebels, but it wasn't enough to sway him away from Arkansas.
" There was no way I could've went any place else," said Gragg, who wraps up his official visit to Arkansas today.
Gragg, 6-4, 247 pounds, 4.8, picked Arkansas over scholarship offers from Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and others. He plans to sign an athletic financial aid agreement with Arkansas soon and will practice with the team next weekend before enrolling in January.
He and Arkansas commitment K.J. Hill, a receiver from North Little Rock, are good friends. Hill plans to officially visit Arkansas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Alabama in January, but Gragg said Razorbacks fans shouldn't worry about Hill visiting other schools.
"I wouldn't enroll early at one place where I didn't think he would come," Gragg said. "He's just going to visit. They're free. You get hospitality, free food. It's just a vacation."
RECEIVING INTEREST
Arkansas has extended a scholarship offer to Reserve Riverside Academy receiver Herb McGee, one of Louisiana's top junior prospects.
"I'm blessed," McGee said. "I was proud that I did get the offer. I kind of didn't think they were going to offer."
McGee, 6-2, 175, has scholarship offers from LSU and Louisiana-Lafayette and is drawing interest from numerous others. Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith, a New Orleans native, is his lead recruiter for Arkansas.
"He said he wanted me to be a Hog and wants me to come up for a visit," McGee said "Basically, he was saying how he likes how I play."
McGee said he hopes to attend the Texas Bowl on Dec. 29 in Houston so he can watch Arkansas play Texas. He said Smith is one of the pluses for the Razorbacks.
"Coach Smith is a great guy," McGee said.
GET 'EM EARLY
Finding top-flight defensive line talent is a challenge for college coaches, but when one is located he usually receives plenty of attention.
Sophomore defensive lineman Marvin Wilson of Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal has a chance to be highly recruited over the next two years, and Arkansas is already showing him attention with running backs coach Joel Thomas serving as the Razorbacks' lead recruiter on him.
"He's just telling me to keep my grades up and that Arkansas was interested in me and they think highly of me," Wilson said.
Wilson, 6-5 1/2, 305 pounds, 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash, also is receiving interest from numerous other schools that include Texas, TCU and Baylor after recording 67 tackles and 16 sacks this season.
"I really like the program," Wilson said of Arkansas. "They're trying to build it up. It's a winning program, and they're going up against the best talent in the country right now."
Wilson said he has watched the Hogs play on television.
"I saw them when they played A&M. That was heart-breaker," he said. "I saw them when they played LSU, and I saw a couple other games."
E-mail Richard Davenport at
Sports on 12/14/2014