LITTLE ROCK — Football season starts next week for most of college football.
Recruiting season kicks off, as well.
Coaches can call recruits once a week, beginning Sept. 1, after being virtually silenced since the April 15-May 31 spring evaluation period, when coaches were allowed one call per prospect.
Sept. 1 signals the first time coaches and players can have direct contact.
"You're always having to go through the high school coach or that kid has to call you, you can't call him," Arkansas recruiting coordinator Tim Horton said. "So now this gives us a chance to pick up the phone and call a kid once a week and gives Coach [Bobby] Petrino a chance to call the kid once a week."
Also coaches can travel to schools from Sept. 1 through the end of November to check out prospects.
"We have 42 visit opportunities," Horton said. "So for example, we can go to one particular school and evaluate the kids at that school, one time."
Coaches hit the road every Friday, whether the Hogs are in Fayetteville, Little Rock or out of state. Horton said four to five coaches will spread through the state the day before the Hogs play Missouri State in Little Rock.
"We'll go see high school games and see high school coaches in schools," Horton said. "We'll send four or five out each Friday throughout the season so we can not only see the kids that are seniors but also to build a good list of the current juniors."
September also signals the first time juniors can start receiving mail from schools.
Horton said the Hogs plan to take advantage of the recruiting opportunities afforded by road games.
"We will typically be in that part of the country recruiting all day that Friday and going to games that Friday night," Horton said. "For example, when we go play Florida, that Thursday night or that Friday there will typically be four or five coaches that will spend that Friday recruiting in the state of Florida. Obviously when we play in Dallas, we'll have four or five coaches recruiting in the state of Texas that Friday. When we play Ole Miss, we'll have some coaches recruiting in eastern Arkansas and Memphis and Mississippi."
HOGS IN THE HUNT
CBS College Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says Arkansas' name is popping up all over the recruiting landscape.
Lemming spends six months a year traveling around the country evaluating prospects, and he said he has noticed an increase in Arkansas' presence.
"I've never seen their name at so many places around the country as I have this year," Lemming said. "You rarely saw that before. I saw Arkansas' name out there twice as much as it has in previous years. They're in the mix for a lot of big-name ballplayers."
Lemming said recruiting coordinator Tim Horton and Coach Bobby Petrino are responsible for the Hogs' new attitude in recruiting.
"Tim Horton and Coach Petrino are changing the mind-set of Arkansas recruiting," Lemming said. "Horton knows the Arkansas area real well but he's also a very good organizer. He can now use he's organizational skills now that Petrino allows him to really hit the whole nation."
FLORIDA RECONNAISSANCE
Arkansas is pursuing one of the top defensive linemen in Florida.
Defensive end Max Beaulieu of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School has 14 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Wake Forest, Purdue, Tennessee, South Carolina, Syracuse, Wisconsin and others.
Graduate assistant Chip Long, who was instrumental in the recruiting of Razorbacks freshman running back Ronnie Wingo Jr., is the lead recruiter of Beaulieu.
"He's a great guy," Beaulieu said of Long, who helps coach Arkansas' tight ends. "He shows a lot of interest in me and makes me feel comfortable."
Beaulieu, 6-3, 235 pounds, has the speed (4.80 seconds in the 40-yard dash) to come off the edge. He had about 30 tackles, 5 sacks and 1 forced fumble last year.
"I'm interested in Arkansas," said Beaulieu, who reports a 3.4 grade-point average and is thinking about majoring in engineering. "They'll probably be one of the schools in my top 10 when I narrow down my list. I'll then narrow it down to a top five.They have a possibility of being in my top five."
Beaulieu said he's taking his coach's advice and waiting to see if any other schools offer him before narrowing his list. He said he'll probably do that sometime during the high school season.
One school in Beaulieu's top five is Purdue, which he'll visit officially Oct. 24.
Beaulieu said most schools are recruiting him as an interior lineman while Long has told him Arkansas likes him on the outside.
"He said he sees me as a Dend because this year they'll be losing a couple of seniors." said Beaulieu, who said he bench presses about 295 pounds and squats 450.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline. com
Sports, Pages 28 on 08/28/2009