Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Georgia speedster commits to Hogs

- RICHARD DAVENPORT

Highly recruited running back Rashod Dubinion orally committed to the University of Arkansas on Saturday night and is the fourth member of the Razorbacks’ 2022 class.

Dubinion, 5-10, 190 pounds, of Ellwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove, had accumulate­d more than 25 scholarshi­p offers from schools such as Georgia, Baylor, Florida, Auburn, Ole

Miss, Michigan, Florida

State, Michigan State and others before selecting Arkansas.

Razorbacks running backs coach Jimmy

Smith coached Dubinion as a freshman while at Cedar

Grove, where he led the

Saints to state championsh­ips in 2016 and 2018.

His relationsh­ip with Smith played a big role in his decision.

“He’s a stand-up guy,” Dubinion said in an earlier interview. “He doesn’t lie to me about anything. Anything he tells me he’s going to do for me, he did it.”

National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network rates Dubinion a four-star prospect.

“He’s super fast, an athlete who can play slot back, wide receiver or running back,” Lemming said. “He’s very creative with a tremendous burst.”

Dubinion rushed 61 times for 501 yards and 7 touchdowns, and returned 2 punts for touchdowns as a freshman for Cedar Grove’s championsh­ip team in 2018.

As a junior, he had 72 carries for 536 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 8 catches for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns in a five-game season shortened because of covid-19.

Cedar Grove Coach Miguel Patrick was Smith’s defensive coordinato­r for the two state title teams before being elevated to head coach after Smith’s departure.

“He really knows the game of football,” Patrick said of Dubinion. “He can come off the field and say, ‘Hey, coach, we should probably do this. Or if we do this this will probably work better.’ ”

Oral commitment­s are nonbinding.

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Smith
 ??  ?? Dubinion
Dubinion

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