Thurman adds to rich Razorbacks family ties

FAYETTEVILLE -- Scotty Thurman Jr. has many family ties at Arkansas. Name recognition is the first giveaway.

But along with a famous father who forever holds a special place in the hearts of Razorbacks' fans, the younger Thurman found many more reasons to choose Arkansas as his college football destination.

He spent his final two years of high school at Fayetteville. In 2011, he was a part of an upstart Purple Bulldogs team that shocked the state with a surprise run to the Class 7A title. That season, Thurman, a wide receiver, quietly did his share, recording 19 catches for 247 yards.

When the time came to pick a college, he could have opted for a smaller college route. Instead he chose to walk-on at Arkansas and follow in family footsteps.

"I think it was a little bit of everything for me coming here," Thurman said. "My mom and and dad went here and that kind of helped my decision. But at the same time, it was a great opportunity for me to come here and help the team.

"And to be able to do both, it worked out great."

Thurman was moved to defensive back at Arkansas and has spent the past three seasons primarily on the scout team. But his hard work on special teams and in the secondary didn't go unnoticed.

Early into his redshirt sophomore season in 2014, coach Bret Bielema rewarded Thurman with a scholarship. Bielema, soon after arriving at Arkansas prior to the 2013 season, stressed a desire to build a strong walk-on program which would lead to players earning scholarships.

Thurman was one of the first walk-ons to be given a scholarship by Bielema. It was a huge honor, to say the least.

"That means a whole lot," Thurman said. "That's the one goal of a walk-on is to be elevated and to be on the same level as everyone else.

"And once you get (that scholarship) you just feel so much better. You feel comfortable and you feel like you did it and now you can just focus on helping the team."

Walk-ons at the Division-I football level, particularly at the Southeastern Conference level, often don't stick. Thurman is different, as he's now a well-respected member of the team.

"I love the kid," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "If you have 11 Scotty Thurmans every year, you have a chance to win a state championship.

"He may not have been the fastest or the best route runner, but he worked at it. And I remember a lot of people said he couldn't play at the college level, but he stuck with it and he worked at it. All he's done is gone up there to Arkansas with a great attitude, and to see him go up there and earn a scholarship speaks volumes of the great character he has."

Thurman has played in just one game in his college career, against Nicholls State last season. He recorded no official stats in the game and isn't projected this year to see much, if any, time on the field again.

"I used to work for a guy and one of the greatest things I learned from him, he would say when the walk-ons are doing everything right then you know you're teaching the right thing," Arkansas defensive backs coach Clay Jennings said. "The one thing those guys (like Scotty) pride themselves on, they may not be the big five star guys and they may not be the fastest. But as long as your coachable it goes a long way for us."

Thurman was linked to Arkansas right from the start. His father made the memorable 1994 national championship shot in basketball that forever made the Thurman name famous. His mother, Regina, attended the UA and participated in the spirit squad.

Scotty Thurman Jr. has many more Arkansas family ties, like his uncle Corliss Williamson and his cousin, former NFL tight end Keith Jackson. Despite all of that, his decision to play football for the Razorbacks was all his.

"At this point I just want to help the team in whatever way I can," he said. "If I can contribute on special teams or on defense, I just want to contribute in any way possible and help the team win."

Sports on 08/16/2015