Athletic offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg has flipped his commitment from Tulsa to Arkansas after receiving a scholarship offer from the Razorbacks on Monday.
“(I'm) super excited about Arkansas,” Stromberg said. “(My) brother went there said it was beautiful campus. Love the atmosphere of the fans. Super excited."
Stromberg (6-4, 280 pounds, 5.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash) of Tulsa Union also had scholarship offers from Colorado State, Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, and received strong interest from Oklahoma and UCLA.
Stromberg visited Fayetteville in the spring for a practice and liked how the team went about business.
“The culture of the practices,” Stromberg said of what he liked. “The way they practiced. Loved it. I was hoping they were going to offer me soon.”
He had the best 2018 Nike testing results of offensive guards in the nation with a score of 103.86 while weighing 320 pounds. He recorded 5.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 4.46 seconds in the shuttle, a 27.9-inch vertical jump along with a power ball throw of 40.5 feet. He has dropped 40 pounds to his current weight of 280.
Offensive line coach Dustin Fry stayed in contact and continued to build a relationship with Stormberg.
“He’s an upfront honest guy which is what I look for about coaches,” Stromberg said.
Fry informed Stromberg of his scholarship offer Monday afternoon.
“Coach Fry texted me after he offered saying come ready to compete,” Stromberg said. “I love competition. Perfect fit. So basically they have the same vision as me.”
Stromberg said the culture of the program, along with the honesty, helped sway him.
“And close to enough to home, but far enough also,” he said.
A three-year starter, Stromberg leaves Union without giving up a sack in his career. He is the sixth offensive line pledge and the Hogs' 26th commitment for the 2019 class.