O-lineman to get second look

Offensive lineman Joseph Stone will arrive in Fayetteville on Friday to start his official visit to check out the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville for a second time.

Stone, 6-8, 340 pounds, of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama received a scholarship offer from Coach Chad Morris during his first trip Feb. 24 and named the Hogs his leader. “Mostly the coaching staff, how they treated me and how they were so energetic,” said Stone, explaining why the Hogs lead. “They have a really young coaching staff.”

He’s looking forward to learning more about the program and witnessing HogFest, an event for fans to meet the coaches and players.

“I want to see how their program works,” he said. “I know they’re having the HogsFest when I get down there.”

Offensive line coach Dustin Fry is working hard to make Stone a Razorback.

“Coach Fry is awesome. He and I talk about two or three times a week,” Stone said.

Razorback safety signee Myles Mason, who also attends Hewitt-Trussville, is in Stone’s ear in hopes they’re teammates again in the future.

“Myles is trying to get me to go there,” Stone said. “He’s just told me how nice it is, and he said they’re on the rise.”

Stone also has scholarship offers from Purdue, Louisville, Florida Atlantic, Mercer and Middle Tennessee State, and numerous other schools are showing interest. Many of the schools plan to see him during the spring evaluation period before extending an offer.

“Some of them are saying they want to wait until after spring,” Stone said.

He transferred to Hewitt-Trussville in January of 2017 from Savannah, Ga. He soon earned the nickname of “Big Country” from his new teammates.

“I was in the weight room one day, and I was working out and they were like we need to find a nickname for him,” said Stone, who has a 385-pound bench press. “Somebody said ‘Big Country’ and someone said, ‘That fits him perfect,’ and it just stuck with me ever since.”

The Hogs are expected to host at least four others on official visits this weekend. Hogs offensive line commitment Beaux Limmer, 6-5, 270, of Tyler (Texas) Lee and offensive lineman Trevor Roberson, 7-0, 365, of Wellington, Texas, also will visit.

In a rarity, Stone will look up at someone when he meets Roberson.

“It’s going to be a change,” Stone said. “That’s insane.”

NOLAND COMMITTED

Arkansas quarterback and pitcher signee Connor Noland notified all Major League Baseball teams Monday he was 100 percent committed to playing football and baseball at Arkansas.

In an email to the teams, Noland said he planned to be in Fayetteville in late May to attend classes and begin his lifelong dream of being a Razorback. He was a candidate to be drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that begins June 4.

A right-handed pitcher, he was 7-2 with a 0.48 ERA for Greenwood while allowing 4 earned runs and striking out 84 batters in 58 innings as a junior. He also hit .340 with 2 home runs, 9 doubles and 26 RBI.

Noland, 6-3, 208, 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, inked with the football Hogs over scholarship offers from Penn State, UCLA, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and others. ESPN rates him a four-star prospect, the No. 14 pocket passer and the No. 252 overall prospect.

He completed 225 of 323 passes for 2,801 yards and 34 touchdowns while throwing 6 interceptions last season. He also rushed 82 times for 239 yards and 5 touchdowns in helping the Bulldogs to a 13-0 record and the Class 6A state championship.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Stone