One of the state’s best junior prospects now has an offer from the defending national champions.
Alabama offered Fayetteville defensive tackle Akial Byers (6-5, 265) on Wednesday to run his total of scholarship offers to six.
“I was very excited about the offer from Alabama, but I will know more about it tomorrow,” noted Byers, who is scheduled to talk with Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban on Thursday. “It means a lot to me for them to offer.
Alabama joins Mississippi State, Memphis, Iowa State, Wake Forest and Arkansas State as programs that have offered Byers.
Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Auburn, LSU, Notre Dame, Stanford and Michigan are among those that have shown interest as well.
“I think OSU is very interested and about to offer,” Byers said.
Byers has plans right now to attend junior days at Alabama, TCU and Arkansas State and plans to add others.
He is one of at least two 2017 Division I prospects at Fayetteville along with quarterback Taylor Powell.
Byers was one of the leaders for the Purple Bulldogs’ defense last season while helping Fayetteville (12-2) to the Class 7A State Championship.
“The season went really well,” Byers said. “We were 12-2 and did a good job of closing it out. It turned out to be a great season.”
LOOKING AT 2017
While the 2016 Razorback recruiting class is likely still not finalized, it certainly is time to look ahead to 2017.
That’s something the Arkansas staff did last week, and it poured over several prospects who are currently juniors.
The Razorbacks will continue to first look long and hard at prospects inside their own borders after signing just four players from Arkansas in this latest class.
They were the only four the program offered: Hope defensive end McTelvin Agim (6-3, 280), Star City defensive tackle Austin Capps (6-5, 315), Pulaski Robinson tailback/ wideout T.J. Hammonds (5-11, 200) and Smackover wide receiver Jordan Jones (6-1, 170, 4.3).
That comes a year after Razorback head coach Bret Bielema and his staff signed 11 in-state prospects — counting junior college wide receiver Dominique Reed.
Arkansas signed eight instate prospects in 2013 and just five in in 2014.
“When I first got here, I was told those numbers in the first two years were out of the norm and that was a high number for Arkansas,” Bielema said. “That has turned out to be the case.
“If they can play and help us win an SEC championship, we’re going to find them, and we’re going to recruit them.
“It all starts right here in the state of Arkansas.”
Arkansas did land five preferred walk-ons in Greenwood linebacker Grant Morgan (5-11, 225), Maumelle offensive lineman Tyler Hall (6-6, 290), Benton linebacker Ben Brausell (6-2, 221) and Little Rock Christian offensive lineman Dylan Hays (6-4,
280) as well as Allen, Texas, kicker Connor Limpert.
Farmington running back/ linebacker Justice Hobbs (5-11, 215) and Lamar tight end/ defensive end Blake Kern (6-6, 230) have also pledged to join the program as preferred walk-ons.
“I was warned when I came in how cyclical Arkansas recruiting could be,” Bielema said. “One of the things that will really make a strong push here is if a kid is, even remotely, we think has a chance of helping us, we went after them as preferred walk-ons and made them feel really good.”
Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. is in charge of recruiting the state for the Razorbacks.
He got three of this year’s signees from south Arkansas with Agim, Capps and Jones all from that area of the state.
“South Arkansas has been real good to us,” Lunney said. “That’s always an area that you always have to be really diligent going through that area because there’s always talent. There’s always somebody that needs to be on the radar, whether we offer them or somebody you need to be aware of.
“You want it to be an even disbursement across the state. You’re going to get some good players from Northwest Arkansas, central Arkansas. You need south Arkansas to be good. You need to have east Arkansas have a player or two. If you get all of that, you’re going to have a nice number in the state.”
Powell and Byers are the two prospects in the state with Power 5 offers already.
Other top prospects receiving interest from Arkansas include Little Rock McClellan Pierre Strong (6-1, 180), Jonesboro wide receiver Jonathan Adams (6-3, 190), Central Arkansas Christian wideout and Indiana commit Josh Johnson (6-0, 170) and Lafayette County wide receiver Cualan Williams (6-3, 205).
Dudley Dawson can be reached at [email protected].