Top North Carolina back set to visit Razorbacks
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and staff will be busy this week with an Elite Camp on Thursday and hosting several prospects on unofficial visits.
One of the nation’s best running backs, Reggie Gallaspy of Greensboro (N.C.) Southern Guilford, plans to visit Arkansas on Wednesday and Thursday.
Gallaspy, 5-11, 215 pounds, 4.53 seconds in the 40yard dash, has scholarship offers from severa l schools that include Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network travels about five months a year to watch the nation’s top prospects and made a trip to see Gallaspy.
“There’s four big-time running backs from North Carolina this year, and he’s one of them,” Lemming said. “He’s a guy with great vision and balance. He kind of has surprising strength. He’s not a real big guy, but he runs through a lot of arm tackles and gets significant yardage after contact.”
Gallaspy had 282 carries for 1,704 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior and 1,751 yards and 20 touchdowns on 177 carries as a sophomore.
“He’s a four-star back and he’s a top 300 guy for sure,” Lemming said.
Lemming also thinks highly of Gallaspy off the field.
“I really like him,” Lemming said. “He’s a very pleasant, good kid. He works hard, and he’s just a great guy to have on your team.”
WILLING TO LOOK
Keller (Texas) Fossil Ridge safety Montrel Wilson, a Baylor commitment, is planning to take an unofficial visit Arkansas on Thursday.
Wilson, 6-3, 195, 4.59, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Baylor, TCU, Illinois State, Navy, Illinois, New Mexico and Texas-El Paso.
Wilson said he would like to find out more about the environment at the UA.
“I just want see how they do things down there,” he said.
Wilson recorded 116 tackles, 4 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles and was named firstteam All-District 4-5A as a junior. If he’s impre ss e d with what he sees, Wilson said an official visit to Fayetteville is possible.
“Probably,” he said, “if I really like it.”
PLACE CALLED HOPE
Highly regarded junior defensive end McTelvin Agim of Hope said he plans to visit Arkansas on Thursday.
Agim, 6-3, 247, 4.68, has scholarship offers from nine schools, including Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Clemson and Baylor. ESPN rates him as the No. 11 defensive end and No. 160 overall prospect in the nation for the 2016 class.
He has visited Fayetteville four times and said he wants to continue to get to know the Razorbacks and their coaches.
“I’m trying to build a better relationship with the players and coaches,” Agim said.
Agim recorded 77 tackles, including 32 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks. He was named as the Sophomore Defensive Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Agim said it helps Arkansas’ chances that the Razorbacks were the first school to extend him a scholarship offer.
“It does a lot,” he said, “because they offered before I had any other attention from anybody else.”
He plans to visit Stanford on Saturday.
CALIFORNIA PUNTER
Punter Blake Johnson is expected to participate in the Elite Camp and said he expects the Razorbacks to extend an offer.
Johnson, 6-1, 190, of Los Alamitos, Calif., has scholarship offers from Oregon State, Duke and Colorado. His parents and two younger sisters will accompany him on his visit to Fayetteville.
Chris Sailer Kicking rates him the No. 1 punter in the nation.
Arkansas defensive line and specialists coach Rory Segrest and special teams quality control coach Tanner Burns have been talking to Johnson.
“They’re really cool,” Johnson said. “I’m really excited to meet them in person.”
After leaving Fayetteville, Johnson plans to visit LSU and also expects to receive an offer from the Tigers.
Jo h n s o n said he will not orally commit during his trip, even if he’s impressed with his visit to Arkansas.
“I promised my parents I would wait to until the end of July,” Johnson said. “So if all goes well and I really enjoy it and that’s really where I want to be, the earliest I could commit is late next week.”
LOUISIANA DE
Highly recruited defensive end Reggie Walker of Ponchatoula, La., won’t visit Arkansas this week, but he has the Razorbacks and Florida as his top two.
Walker, 6-2, 230, 4.56, has scholarship offers from approximately 18 schools, including Arkansas, Florida, Arizona State, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
“I know they [Arkansas] can utilize a good pass rusher, and I know I can probably go there and play a lot,” Walker said.
Walker recorded 72 tackles, 15 sacks, 13 other tackles for losses, 3 forced fumbles and recove r ed 2 fumbles last year while p l aying in Class 5A, the highest classification in Louisiana.
Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith, a New Orleans native, is his lead recruiter at Arkansas.
“He’s a real cool guy,” Walker said. “He’s pretty much straightforward and funny. He’s from New Orleans, so he knows where I’m coming from.”
Walker said he plans to take an official visit to Arkansas.