350-pound defensive lineman leans to Arkansas
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and his staff hosted six prospects on official visits over the weekend and four play on the defensive line.
Defensive tackle Javier Edwards, 6-3, 350 pounds, of Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, committed to Florida in June, but after his trip to Fayetteville he said that’s no longer the case.
Arkansas, Missouri and Florida remain in contention for Edwards.
“I’ve got to do these home visits and see how it plays out,” said Edwards, who’s expected to graduate in December and enroll at his new school in January. “Right now, Arkansas is probably my No. 1.”
Defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads recruited Edwards out of Houston’s Aldine Davis High School while the head coach at Iowa State. Being close to qualifying academically, Edwards was considering double signing with the Cyclones and Blinn, but that changed when Rhoads wasn’t retained after seven seasons at Iowa State.
Edwards said he loved the family atmosphere at Arkansas.
“I loved how I came here and felt at home,” Edwards said. “Even though I was at Arkansas, it felt like I was in Texas. I just fit in out here.”
He officially visited Florida on Nov. 12 for the South Carolina game and is planning a trip to Missouri.
“I might end up signing here, you never know, but I really like it out here,” Edwards said of Arkansas. “This is my No. 1 school now. After the Missouri visit, I’m probably going to go here.”
The Gators were to make an in-home visit with him Sunday night. Coach Bret Bielema and Rhoads are expected to make an in-home visit Wednesday. He doesn’t have a firm date for a decision.
“I don’t have a date set because I’m not sure when everybody’s going to be done with their home visits, and I’m not sure if I’m going to Missouri or not. So, it depends on that,” Edwards said.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
It didn’t take junior college defensive lineman Melvin Johnson long to feel at home during his official visit to Fayetteville.
“It was amazing,” Johnson said. “I felt the family vibe since I arrived at the airport. I loved the way the state is behind the team’s back. It’s very impressive. My parents and I enjoyed our stay. I really do like it.”
Johnson, 6-5, 285, of Riverside (Calif.) City College, played defensive tackle at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas and signed with UNLV in 2015, but failed to qualify academically and enrolled at Riverside.
He was hosted by defensive end Michael Taylor, who’s redshirting this season after attending junior college in Riverside. Johnson said the two have been talking.
“He calls me every week and tells me how important it is to him,” Johnson said. “He really does love his school and the fan base.”
Johnson, who has three years to play three, has visits planned for Kentucky and Iowa State. He admits he thought about committing to the Hogs.
“I thought about it very, very much,” Johnson said. “I know my decision.”
ENGINEERING A CHANGE
Missouri defensive end commit Chris Turner said his visit to Arkansas has him reevaluating things.
“Yes, it makes me reconsider and think about all my choices,” Turner said.
Turner, 6-4, 225, of Hammond, La., was able to get an in-depth look at Arkansas’ engineering department.
“When I took my visit to Missouri they didn’t let me in the engineering department,” Turner said. “I guess they didn’t have time for it. Here, they took me through the whole engineering building and department. It was nice.”
He’s being recruited by at Arkansas by Coach Bret Bielema, defensive line coach Rory Segrest and receivers coach Michael Smith.
“I like all of them,” Turner said. “I’m looking to building a relationship with all of them.”
FLORIDA CONNECTION
Highly recruited defensive end Jordan Wright said he was surprised by his visit to Arkansas.
“It was more than I expected,” Wright said. “It is very nice up here.”
Wright, 6-5, 240, of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard has scholarship offers from schools like Arkansas, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Michigan, Alabama, Michigan State and Southern Cal.
He was able to hang out with current Razorback linebackers Randy Ramsey and Josh Williams, who also attended Dillard.
“[Ramsey] just told me that you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble and that you just come up and handle business and just mind yours,” Wright said.
Wright officially visited Kentucky earlier in the season and is considering trips to Miami and Michigan. Wright, who’s being recruited by Coach Bret Bielema and linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves, said the trip helped the Hogs’ chances of signing him.
“It gave them a good chance,” Wright said.