Offensive lineman Joseph Stone named the Arkansas Razorbacks his leader in February, and Sunday -- the last day of his weekend official visit to Fayetteville -- he orally committed to the Hogs.
"It was amazing," Stone said. "Just getting to see the coaching staff and meet some of the players. Definitely a great experience."
Stone, 6-8, 340 pounds, of Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) High School, picked the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville over scholarship offers from Purdue, Louisville, Florida Atlantic, Mercer and Middle Tennessee State.
During his Feb. 24 visit, Coach Chad Morris extended a scholarship offer.
Former Shiloh Christian Coach Josh Floyd has been the head coach at Hewitt-Trussville since 2014. He said Stone, who has a 385-pound bench press, has a strong upside.
"Joseph has tremendous upside," Floyd said. "He's only been playing the game for a few years, but has great potential. He's extremely athletic for a guy his size and super strong in the weight room."
Stone is the Hogs' third commitment for the 2019 class. Oral commitments are non-binding.
Impressed by Fayetteville
The Hogs hosted three other prospects for official visits over the weekend and highly recruited Trevor Roberson is another offensive lineman they hope to add to the commitment list.
The trip to Fayetteville was a hit with Roberson.
"I didn't come in here with low expectations at all, but my expectations weren't as high as they should have been," Roberson said. "This place blew me out of the water. Phenomenal, 100 percent phenomenal. It was completely outstanding."
Roberson, 7-0, 380 pounds, of Wellington, Texas, has scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Texas A&M, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech and others.
He made an official visit to Texas A&M last weekend. He said the Hogs will be a contender for his services going forward.
"Arkansas, for me, definitely has a whole new ranking of where I thought it would be," Roberson said. "Arkansas is definitely a contender for whenever I choose a school."
Roberson is leaning toward making his college decision early in his senior year and sign during the December signing period.
"I'm not 100 percent sure, but I'm definitely going to try," he said.
He broke down his wants in a school.
"Is it a family and does it feel like home?," Roberson said. "Can I be successful here? On top of that, if my mom and family come down and watch me play ball, the next day we all go to church on Sunday. That's a big deal for me. I really, truly feel like this is a place I could do that."
Arkansas tops for DE
Defensive end target defensive end Collin Clay made his third trip to Fayetteville this weekend for an official visit and the Hogs continue to lead for him.
"Arkansas is at the top of my list right now," Clay said. "My family and I love them. [It] put a very big impression for my family and I."
Clay, 6-3, 235 pounds of Putnam City (Oklahoma City) High School received a scholarship offer from the Razorbacks in January. He has other offers from Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and others.
He visited Fayetteville for the TCU game last fall and on Feb. 24 named the Hogs his leader after the second visit. He called the latest visit a "great trip."
"I love the coaching staff," Clay said. "Always showing love. Had a fun weekend overall [with] great hosts showing me around the city and just getting to get a feel on how things would go if I were to be here the next 3-4 years."
Clay, who recorded 56 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 pass breaks as a junior, said the highlight of the visit was hanging out with freshman defensive end David Porter and others.
"Just getting around the city with the hosts," he said. "Very good experience."
E-mail Richard Davenport at [email protected]
Sports on 04/17/2018