An elite junior prospect is getting to know Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema, and he hopes to visit Fayetteville this fall.
Safety Jeffrey Okudah, 6-1, 190 pounds, of South Grand Prairie (Texas) is rated the No. 2 safety and No. 10 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN for the 2017 class. Arkansas extended a scholarship offer Wednesday, bringing Okudah's total number of offers to 31.
"We started building a relationship," Okudah said. "He gave me his number and we just went from there."
He's also talking to Arkansas defensive backs coach Clay Jennings.
"My interest [is] pretty genuine," Okudah said. "I was talking to Coach B and Coach Jennings and they let me know they're really interested. They want to get me down there just to get a feel for the atmosphere."
Okudah said he likes Arkansas' style of play and the intensity shown by the Razorbacks. He also would like to make it to Arkansas for a game.
"I was going to take a look at the schedule and see what games I'll be able to make," Okudah said. "I've never been to Arkansas before."
Okudah showed big-play ability as a sophomore when he had 19 receptions for 460 yards, an average of 24.2 yards per catch, and 6 touchdowns. He also said he and Bielema discussed which side of the ball he would play on and that most likely he would end up a defensive back.
"He asked me what I wanted to play," Okudah said. "He said he actually likes me on both sides of the ball because he was watching my highlight tape and they were discussing me in a meeting. It would probably be an optional decision, but I would probably be a defensive back."
Okudah, who has a 3.7 grade-point average, has been caught off guard by receiving 30 offers so early in the recruiting process.
"At first it was overwhelming, but it's a blessing," he said.
Despite being one of the more highly regarded prospects in the nation, Okudah said his mother, Marie, and his trainer Clay Mack keep him grounded.
"Everything can be taken away from you in a moment's notice," he said. "I just stay focused on the goal."
THE ONE THAT MATTERS
When announcing their college decision, a good number of prospects like to display four or five caps from the colleges they are considering before revealing their decision.
Hope defensive end McTelvin Agim needed only one when he made his oral commitment to the Razorbacks last Saturday.
Agim chose Arkansas over Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Baylor.
"People kept asking where are you going to hide all your hats out and pull one out," Hope Coach Jay Turley said. "He doesn't want to disrespect the other three teams that way. He just wants to make his choice and move forward with it.
"That's what kind of kid he is. He's not a disrespectful kid. He's grateful of all the opportunities he's been given and feels blessed to be offered by anybody."
Agim, 6-3, 268, 4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash, also had scholarship offers from schools that included Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Clemson, Notre Dame, Stanford and Oklahoma. He held a news conference at his late grandmother's home during a family reunion in front of approximately 100 family members and friends.
"You can tell by everybody here how much he's loved by his community and by the people of Hope," Turley said.
Agim recorded 77 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks as a junior. CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who is in his 36th year of covering recruiting, said he believes Agim is an elite defensive end and rates him as a four-star plus prospect.
"He's very quick with his hands and even quicker with his feet," Lemming said. "He comes out of his stance like a rocket, and he has to be doubled-teamed all the time and has been a holy terror for quarterbacks."
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 09/13/2015