Arkansas is one of three schools in contention for junior defensive end Hjalte Froholdt, who is ranked by ESPN as the No. 42 prospect in the 2015 class.
Froholdt, 6-5, 275 pounds, is from Denmark but played his sophomore year at Warren (Ohio) Harding High School as an exchange student. He returned home for his junior year and plans to return to the United States for his senior season.
In addition to the Razorbacks, he named Michigan and Florida State as finalists.
“I chose those three schools because that’s where I felt most at home,” Froholdt said. “I really like the atmosphere at all of them.”
He and his parents, Hans and Lisa, traveled from Denmark to visit the Razorbacks for the South Carolina game Oct. 12 before also visiting Alabama, Florida State and Michigan in a 10-day period. It was his second visit to Fayetteville. He and his father visited Arkansas, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan in May while he was an exchange student.
“I know that it’s the original way of saying it, but I just feel very comfortable with the coaches,” Froholdt said of the Hogs. “I like the campus, since it’s kind of closed. No normal roads in the middle of campus.”
Froholdt’s lead recruiter, cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert drew praise.
“Even though I didn’t see Coach Johnson as much as other college coaches, I really connected with him,” Froholdt said. “On the first visit I got some time to connect with Coach Herbert, who is just one of the smartest and coolest strength coaches I’ve met.”
While on their October trip to Fayetteville, Coach Bret Bielema surprised Froholdt and his parents with about a 10-minute conversation before the South Carolina game.
“He’s has an awesome personality with some great advice and great composure,” Froholdt said. “Thirty minutes before kickoff at our visit he sat down with us, which was very cool.”
His parents respected the professionalism they witnessed from different personnel while on the visit.
“They really liked the people a lot,” Froholdt said. “Coaches, but also academic people. They liked their overview of things, also that people are very laid-back, not so uptight but still got the things in order.”
His older brother, Lars, recently started playing football and is a 6-1, 320-pound nose guard and fullback. Both plan to play at a prep school in the United States next year and hope to continue to play together in college.
“That’s the dream we have, to play on the same team,” Froholdt said. “That’s why we’re working so hard this off-season, because he’s going to do a year of high school next year.”
Froholdt hoped to make a decision shortly after his October visits but said now he is uncertain when he’ll announce his choice.
CONFIDENCE IN BIELEMA
Mike Shaw, the father of highly recruited defensive end Rashawn Shaw of Fort Pierce (Fla.) Central, is confident Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema will get the Hogs on track.
“I believe he’s the right person for the job,” Shaw said. “Once he gets his system in there, give him a couple of years and he’ll have it the way it should be.”
Rashawn Shaw, 6-3, 230 pounds, is a Louisville commitment and has approximately 30 scholarship offers, including offers from Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU and Rutgers. He has Arkansas as his No. 2 school.
Shaw and teammate Sharieff Rhaheed, 6-4, 207, 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, visited Fayetteville in July. Rhaheed has scholarship offers from more than 20 schools, including Arkansas, Nebraska, LSU, Louisville and Ole Miss.
Mike Shaw said he and his wife, Paula, plan to accompany their son on an official visit to Fayetteville sometime in December.
Shaw is a cousin of St. Louis Cardinals tight end Lance Kendricks who played for Bielema at Wisconsin.
“He [Kendricks] always talked well of the coaching staff at Wisconsin,” Shaw said.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 31 on 11/24/2013