Dorian Gerald, nation’s topranked juco DE, wraps up Arkansas visit.

The nation’s top rated junior college defensive end Dorian Gerald will wrap up his official visit to Fayetteville today after arriving Wednesday afternoon to check out the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Gerald, 6-3, 265 pounds, of College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., has more than 30 scholarship offers from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and others. ESPN rates him the No. 1 defensive end and the No. 4 overall junior college prospect in the nation.

Being highly regarded and having many schools competing for one of his two remaining visits, Gerald said the Razorbacks coaching staff and prayer led him to visit the Hogs.

“It’s crazy. You know I sat there and I definitely said a prayer about everything and something just came back to me that just kept saying Arkansas and it’s only a couple of things … it’s maybe me telling myself I want to go to Arkansas or either God,” Gerald said. “So [I’d] rather listen to my heart or either God. I know both won’t lead me wrong. I decided it was best for me to come. I had to come.”

Gerald has visited Texas Tech, Louisville and Texas A&M and is expected to leave for Florida today for his last official visit. A native of Florence, S.C., he had a previous relationship with receivers coach Justin Stepp while he was part of the Clemson staff.

He earned first-team All-Southern California Football Association honors this past season after recording 42 tackles, 10 sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles. He had 54 tackles, 12 sacks and 24 tackles for loss as a freshman.

Gerald said Coach Chad Morris, defensive coordinator John Chavis, defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell and other staff members made him feel comfortable about making a trip to Arkansas.

“They just felt genuine,” Gerald said. “They felt real. They felt genuine. I know Coach Stepp the receivers coach. I know him from the past. He’s a really good guy. It just felt right. Everything just felt right. I had to do it. It was either go here, go there now or go there during the weekend, but I had to do it.”

He plans to announce his decision on national signing day Wednesday.

JONES, OKECHUKWU TO VISIT

Quarterback John Stephen Jones, the grandson of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and defensive end Caleb Okechukwu are expected to make official visits to Arkansas this weekend.

Jones, 5-10½, 185, 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Dallas Highland Park told the Dallas Morning News he has narrowed his list of scholarship offers to Arkansas, SMU and Texas Tech and will make a decision next week.

Initially, Coach Chad Morris had offered Jones a blueshirt offer where he would pay his own way and go through team activities for a semester, then go on scholarship in the fall or the following year and count toward the 2019 class. The offer has changed and now Jones would go on scholarship immediately and count toward the 2018 class.

Jones led Highland Park to the Class 5A Division II state championship as a senior with a 53-49 victory over Manvel. He became the first quarterback to throw for more than 500 yards in a Texas state championship game when he threw for 564 yards and 4 touchdowns.

His father, Stephen Jones, played linebacker at Arkansas and is the Cowboys’ chief operating officer and executive vice president

John Stephen Jones also led Highland Park to the Class 5A Division II state championship as a junior while completing 202 of 335 passes for 3,017 yards and 30 touchdowns while having 119 carries for 278 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Okechukwu, 6-4, 240, 4.79, of St. John’s College in Washington, D.C., has reported scholarship offers from Arkansas, Syracuse, Tennessee, Arizona, Massachusetts, Florida Atlantic and others.

He’s officially visited Texas, Syracuse and Massachusetts. Okechukwu, who played in the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 4 in Orlando, recorded 81 tackles, 16 sacks and 38 tackles for loss as a senior.