Pace ready for a return trip to see Fayetteville

The fans of University of Arkansas football program stood out to sophomore tight end Landon Pace when he visited the Hogs for last week’s LSU game.

“It was [a] nice visit, what really stood out to me was how they still kept their energy no matter how the offense was doing or anything that happened,” Pace said. “The fans were always there. I just really liked that coming from all those Arkansas fans.”

Pace, 6-3, 215 pounds, of St. Louis University High School has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Missouri, West Virginia, Connecticut and Boston College while drawing interest from Arkansas and others.

Pace is the son of former Ohio State and NFL offensive lineman Orlando Pace. He spoke with tight ends coach Dowell Loggains, linebackers coach Michael Scherer and defensive coordinator Barry Odom prior to Arkansas’ game with LSU.

“They were talking about how they want me to come back up for a junior day,” said Pace, who said Scherer and Odom visited his school during the spring evaluation.

A return trip to Fayetteville is likely.

“I’ll definitely come back down there,” he said. “Especially because it’s kind of close to St. Louis. I like anywhere that’s kind of in the Midwest. It’s kind of a good location. It’s kind of like a college town.”

Pace recorded 11 catches for 161 yards, 2 touchdowns in 7 games this season. He also had 19 tackles and a sack while playing defensive end. St. Louis University Coach Adam Cruz said Pace is learning to play his current position.

“Landon is a great kid who has boundless potential,” Cruz said. “Incredibly athletic, will be a starter on the varsity basketball team. Just tapping his potential as a tight end. He grew up an offensive lineman and is still learning the nuances of the position but got better every game.”

Pace was able to get a tour of the UA facilities and found them to be different.

“Just kind of the setup and where everything was,” he said. “They’re kind of smaller hallways that lead into big areas. It was different most definitely. Different floors. I liked it, though. I also like the trophies and how they play against Mizzou and the Boot game every year. I always find that neat.”

He was impressed with the high-profile people who have come through the program.

“Like Jerry Jones and Pete Carroll and all of them who come back, I like all that,” Pace said.

St. Louis University High School has a strong academic reputation and is rated in the top 11% of best college prep private schools nationally. Pace, who has 3.6 grade-point average, is looking to major in communication.

Because his father attended Ohio State, there’s often speculation he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps.

“Just keep my options open and just take my time but Ohio State is not my only place,” Pace said. “I just want everybody to know that. All these other coaches too. So that’s my message.”