Top prospect enjoys visit with Hogs
Defensive end Colt Ellison, one of the top prospects in Texas and the nation, visited the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday with his parents to evaluate the Hogs and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
The visit “for sure bumped it up there,” Ellison said.
Ellison, 6-3, 231, 4.65 of Aledo, Texas, has offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, TCU, Penn State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Minnesota and others. For Ellison, there was a lot to like during his visit to Fayetteville.
“It was great, it was amazing,” said Ellison, who is being recruited by cornerbacks coach Mark Smith. “It’s a great place. Everything is like state of the art. The weight room is huge and long, the indoor is 100 yards long.”
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates Ellison a 4-star-plus prospect, just shy of being a 5-star.
“Ellison is the fastest rising prospect in the metroplex,” Lemming said. “In fact, I’m making a special trip to his high school next month to see him. He’s aggressive and has a non-stop motor and shows good use of hands along with excellent technique.”
Ellison recorded 96 tackles — 18 for loss — 13.5 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 2 recovered fumbles as a junior for powerhouse Aledo. He also gets it done in the classroom with a 3.8 grade-point average.
“They have a great business program and that’s what I’m going to do,” Ellison said of Arkansas. “They were telling me it was one the top ones in the country. I haven’t really looked into it, but that’s what they said.”
He was able to have some oneon-one time with Coach Chad Morris.
“He talked about the plans for me,” he said. “He told me to make sure I take all of my visits and find the right place, no matter where it was.”
Ellison’s mother commented on the professionalism of the staff. “Mom likes it a lot,” Ellison said. Aledo usually produces some top talent on a regular basis, and this year is no exception. Highly recruited cornerback Jeffery Carter and sophomore running back Jase McClellan, an Oklahoma commitment, are Razorback targets.
“I’m going to tell them they need to get up here,” Ellison said.
ARKANSAS IN TOP THREE
One of the nation’s top sophomores, receiver Jordan Johnson also made his way to Fayetteville on Saturday and now has the Razorbacks among his top schools.
“Arkansas is definitely in my top three,” Johnson said. “I really liked it here and the visit was nice. The coaches make you feel like you’re at home.”
Johnson, 6-2, 170 pounds of St. Louis De Smet Jesuit has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Illinois and others. CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming lists Johnson as a 4-star prospect.
“Johnson is one of many bluechip athletes in the St. Louis area this year,” Lemming said. “He’s a go-to receiver who earned all-metro honors last season. He has great hands and big-time speed.”
He recorded 26 receptions for 655 yards, 25.2 yards per catch and 9 touchdowns this past season.
One thing in particular stood out about his trip to Fayetteville, he said.
“The facilities, definitely, the fields, the weight room and the nutrition program. I forget what they call it but the rehab program they got, that’s pretty cool, and interesting to me and how they’re measuring your body fat percentage. That’s all pretty cool. That’s something I haven’t seen before.”
He has numerous family members in the Little Rock area, including grandparents.
“It’s only five hours away from home, so it wasn’t too bad of a drive,” Johnson said. “I have family down here, so I kind of want to play where family is, so whatever happens, happens.”
He made a strong connection with receivers coach Justin Stepp.
“Coach Stepp is a really cool dude,” Johnson said. “I like him a lot. I think if I were to come here, I would be in good hands with coach Stepp.”