LITTLE ROCK — Bentonville tight end Jack Kraus just finished his sophomore year, but he already has scholarship offers from Illinois and Utah State.
Kraus, 6-5, 235 pounds, was used mainly as a blocker last season at Bentonville, catching approximately nine passes. But Tigers offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said he’ll be a key target in the passing game next fall.
“He has a prototypical tight end body,” said Lunney, who said Arkansas State and Troy are close to offering scholarships to Kraus. “He’s right at 6-5 and weighs 235, but he looks like he weighs 200. He’ll probably be 255 without too much effort when he gets more time in the weight room and more time to develop.”
Numerous college coaches visited the school during spring practices, and Lunney said he anticipates many other scholarship offers coming Kraus’ way.
“We think he’s going to have a lot of choices when it’s all said and done,” Lunney said. “That position is a treasured position in recruiting. There’s just not a lot of those guys out there.
“For him to get those early offers like that is pretty rare. I think he understands that.”
QB INTERESTED
Quarterback Reggie Bonnafon of Louisville (Ky.) Trinity is expected to be one of the top 2014 prospects in Kentucky and has a strong interest in Arkansas because of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Paul Petrino’s time as an assistant at Louisville.
“I really like Arkansas,” Bonnafon said. “I’ve always liked them, growing up as a kid, just the way they throw the ball around. Coach Petrino coached at Louisville, so I already knew about the program and how they run things.”
Bonnafon, 6-2 1/2, 198, 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, is drawing interest from Arkansas, Louisville, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Michigan State and others despite playing behind starter Travis Wright.
Bonnafon said he plans to talk to Petrino about visiting Fayetteville in June or July.
SAFETY MULLS OPTIONS
East Mississippi Community College safety Justin Cox signed with Mississippi State out of high school in 2011, but he maintains he is still open to all schools, including Arkansas.
“Everybody is the same right now.” said Cox, who attended West Point (Miss.) High School.
Cox, 6-2, 185, 4.28, reports more than 10 scholarship offers. Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas State are among the schools that have offered.
“I have medium interest,” Cox said of the Hogs. “I’m just looking around right now.”
Cox said he plans to take official visits to Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and LSU.
“They’re a good school and they win,” Cox said of the Razorbacks. “I like winning. I would probably like to go there, but I’m just looking around for now.”
Cox was timed at 10.52 seconds in the 100 meters in high school and recorded a leap of 46 feet, 7 inches in the triple jump.
LINEMAN LIKES HOGS
Highly recruited Georgia defensive lineman Montravius Adams said in March he planned to make an official visit to Arkansas, and he still feels that way.
Adams, 6-4, 285, 4.9, of Vienna Dooly County High School, is rated as the No. 38 prospect and the No. 7 defensive lineman in the nation by CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
“He’s a big, thick kid that’s excellent against the run,” Lemming said. “He actually has enough quickness to bother and harass the quarterback from the inside, so he could be a dominating player. That’s why I have him rated so high. He dominates the competition, usually by occupying two or three blockers.
“You get a guy like that in the middle, and then the ends go crazy.”
Adams reports having approximately 50 scholarship offers. That includes offers from Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Clemson and Florida.
He said his relationship with UA defensive coordinator Paul Haynes and the chance to play early at Arkansas are two of the reasons he is looking hard at the Hogs.
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 25 on 05/27/2012