Arkansas fans will watch the Hogs take on Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday, but before that they'll also be tuning into the Under Armour All-America game in Orlando, Fla.
Highly regarded running back Devwah Whaley is expected to announce his college decision during the game, which will be televised on ESPN2 at 11 a.m.
Whaley, 6-0, 209 pounds, 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Beaumont (Texas) Central will choose among Arkansas, Texas or Georgia
He appeared to be all set to attend Georgia when he orally committed to the Bulldogs on Nov. 26. He reopened his recruitment Dec. 7 after Mark Richt was fired and eventually was named the coach at Miami.
"It was a challenge deciding whether I was going to stay committed or not," Whaley said. "Whether Coach Richt was going to stay or not, because I was hearing he was going to be let go. I just ended up deciding to decommit and open up my recruitment."
He said Georgia is still under consideration.
He made an unofficial visit to Arkansas during the summer and an official visit for the Mississippi State game Nov. 21. He said several things stood out about his trip to Fayetteville, including Coach Bret Bielema.
"The coaching staff, coach B, the players, the environment, the fans, everything," he said.
ESPN rates Whaley the No. 3 running back and No. 49 overall prospect in the nation. He rushed 228 times for 1,701 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior.
Whaley plans to make an official visit to Texas on Jan. 15, regardless of his decision Saturday.
"That's the only one I have set up right now," he said.
His trip to Austin will be clouded by the uncertainty of Coach Charlie Strong's future.
"Just hoping to see ... my only concern is whether Coach Strong will still be there after next year, and just be with some of the other top recruits in the state and hang out with them and just have fun and enjoy the process."
Whaley said if he wasn't confident Strong would be at Texas after next season, that would be a deal-breaker for the Horns.
"You build a relationship with these coaches, so you base your commitment not just off the school, but the coaches as well," Whaley said.
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Arkansas has a commitment from Metairie (La.) Rummel defensive lineman Briston Guidry, and the Hogs also are hoping to get one from his teammate, highly regarded cornerback Kristian Fulton.
Guidry and Fulton officially will visit Fayetteville during the Jan. 22-24 weekend. They visited the Hogs during the Red-White game in April.
"When I went up there, it was totally different from what I expected," said Fulton, who's also playing in the Under Armour All-America game. "They had great facilities, great coaches and a great coaching staff."
Fulton, 5-11, 167 pounds, likes the chances of playing early at Arkansas.
"I feel like I can go in there and play early with my teammate on the other side," Fulton said. "That would be pretty cool to be back on the same team again."
ESPN rates Fulton a five-star recruit, the No. 3 cornerback and No. 35 overall prospect in the nation. He plans to officially visit LSU on Jan. 15 and Florida on Jan. 29.
He said people back home urge him to be a Tiger.
"I get it a lot," Fulton said. "They want me to stay at LSU, but I'm not letting what they say affect me."
Arkansas signed cornerback Henre' Toliver and linebacker Dwayne Eugene out of Rummel in 2014.
Fulton said he'll announce his decision on signing day Feb. 3.
Email Richard Davenport at [email protected].
Sports on 01/01/2016