D-lineman agrees with Razorbacks

The University of Arkansas landed the verbal commitment of defensive lineman Dion Stutts during Saturday’s Junior Day.

Stutts, 6-3, 270 pounds, of Memphis University School, picked the Hogs over scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Indiana and several others.

He visited Fayetteville on Jan. 28 with his father, and that got him to thinking Arkansas could be his school of choice.

“It surprised me, I didn’t expect it to look like that,” Stutts said. “It’s very country, and that fits me perfectly because I’m country boy. The whole community accepts everybody. It’s like a small town, but it’s not, it’s huge.

“I just felt like I was at home.”

He said defensive line coach Deke Adams and others on the staff made sure to include his family in the recruiting process.

“They contacted my parents, talking to them and seeing how they’re doing, and they were even talking to my little brother and older brother and seeing how they were doing,” Stutts said.

His father, mother and two brothers accompanied him on his latest visit on Friday and Saturday. The relationship with Adams played a major role in his decision to be a Razorback.

“I love Coach Adams. If he wasn’t a good person, I don’t think I would’ve committed there,” Stutts said. “He is one of the best D-line coaches I’ve met in the recruiting business. He kept it straight with me. He told me about his family and I talked to him about mine.”

National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network met with Stutts in November.

“I like him a lot,” Lemming said in January. “Good size, very determined on film, shows good quickness to the ball. He’s a 4-star prospect. He has a lot of room for growth, so I would believe he’d be a big catch for Arkansas if they could get him.”

Being able to watch Adams interact with his players during Friday’s practice also helped him choose the Hogs.

“I got to watch him coach his players at practice, and I was amazed how they respected him as a coach, and how he talked to them because he treats his players like his own kids,” Stutts said.

He and his family are friends with Arkansas linebacker signee Alex Sanford and his family.

Stutts is also an outstanding wrestler who finished 2022 with 107 career victories. He made it to the finals of the Division II state championship last year in the heavyweight division.

He’s the second commitment for the 2024 class. Defensive end Kavion Henderson pledged to the Hogs in November. Verbal commitments are nonbinding.