LITTLE ROCK — One of the top defensive prospects in the nation, linebacker Deon Hollins Jr. of Missouri City (Texas) Marshall, committed to UCLA on Tuesday but said he still plans to visit Arkansas.
Hollins, 6-2, 222 pounds, 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has more than 25 scholarship offers, including offers from Arkansas, UCLA, Notre Dame, Washington and Nebraska.
“I’m definitely still considering Arkansas,” Hollins said. “It would be foolish just to put a blind eye towards them because of how much they have to offer. They’re in the SEC, and they were No. 3 last year.”
Hollins, who said he plans to visit UCLA in the spring, also said he’ll visit Arkansas during the summer and take an official visit to Fayetteville. Razorbacks offensive line coach Chris Klenakis is his lead recruiter.
“He’s very adamant that I come down there and just check things out just to see why it would be a perfect place for me,” said Hollins, who is being recruited as an outside linebacker by the Hogs.
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates Hollins a four-star prospect.
“He’s one of the best players in the Houston area,” Lemming said. “He’s an outstanding athlete and defensive player. He can run to the ball well and has a real good burst.”
UCLA’s coaching staff and defensive scheme are attractive to Hollins.
“They have all those years of NFL coaching experience, 75 years,” Hollins said. “They run a 3-4 defense, which is something I see that would maximize my abilities to the fullest.”
Hollins said he also might take an official visit to Washington. Nebraska and Notre Dame are others schools he’s considering.
Arkansas was his second scholarship offer after Texas Tech.
“It just shows which teams are really interested and thought highly of you to offer you that early,” Hollins said.
Hollins has a 3.65 core grade-point average and plans to graduate in December and enroll in school in January. He has a 315-pound bench press, a 445-pound squat, a 31-inch vertical leap and runs the pro-shuttle drill in 4.12 seconds.
CB LIKES HAYNES
Georgia cornerback Cameron Sutton’s relationship with Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes has him interested in the Hogs and looking to visit Fayetteville.
Sutton, 6-0, 175, 4.45, of Jonesboro, Ga., has seven scholarship offers, including offers from Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss and Missouri.
“We’re definitely building a strong relationship,” Sutton said. “He is the type of guy you can relate to. I know he would be there for anything I need help with not only on the field but off the field, too.”
Haynes has told him all about the Razorbacks’ family atmosphere.
“A lot of places aren’t there for you all the time,” Sutton said. “Arkansas is a place where people would be there behind me. It would be a second home.”
Sutton, who plays center field for his school’s baseball team and wants to play both sports in college, is looking to visit Arkansas after baseball season.
“They’re definitely on my list of schools I want to visit,” Sutton said.
RB STILL LOOKING
Running back Jamel James of Katy (Texas) Cinco Ranch pledged to be a Razorback after a visit to Arkansas last summer, but that hasn’t stopped other schools from pursuing him.
James, 5-11, 218, 4.38, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Southern Cal, Clemson, LSU, Florida State and Texas Tech.
“It’s a pretty firm commitment [to Arkansas], but I’m still looking at other schools to see what they have to offer,” said James, who said he is considering visiting Southern Cal and Clemson.
James rushed 148 times for 1,179 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore and had 182 rushes for 1,011 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He had hoped to visit Arkansas on March 3 but didn’t make the trip because he was preparing for the SAT.
“I hope to get down there for the spring game,” said James, who attended Arkansas’ 38-14 victory over Auburn last season.
He said Arkansas offensive line coach Chris Klenakis’ attention is what draws him to the Razorbacks.
“They’ve been with me since Day 1,” said James, who said he calls Klenakis every Wednesday. “I fell in love with Arkansas when I visited, and they’ve stuck with me ever since I committed. He’s not letting up since I’m committed. He’s staying on me hard.”
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 27 on 03/25/2012