Newly hired Arkansas offensive line coach Kurt Anderson won't soon forget his first recruiting road trip with the Razorbacks.
He and Coach Bret Bielema, along with offensive coordinator Dan Enos, made an in-home visit with offensive line commitment Jake Heinrich on Sunday afternoon. But the visit was delayed after Anderson split his pants while getting out of the private jet to head to Heinrich's house.
"I think they were jammed packed into that little private plane," Heinrich said. "Sounds like he got a little too acrobatic. ... The pants weren't cooperating."
The three coaches had to stop and get Anderson some pants before arriving for the visit. He ended up buying sweatpants, which Heinrich approved.
"If you ask me, that's a better deal," he said. "That's a lot more comfortable."
Heinrich, 6-4, 290 pounds, 5.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Urbandale, Iowa, picked Arkansas on July 4 after also receiving scholarship offers from Oregon, Iowa State, Louisville, Kansas State, Illinois, California and Duke.
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates him a four-star prospect. Heinrich said he really enjoyed the visit.
"They're all great guys," Heinrich said. "Coach B of course, know him well. A really good coach, good person. The whole group is really lighthearted. They're all funny guys which I really like and they're all great coaches as well. They like to win and they like to get after it. They really care about me not only as a player, but as a young man as well."
Anderson, who was an assistant offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills before his hiring at Arkansas, was the Bills' primary line coach for the first six games of the season. Buffalo led the NFL in rushing during the regular season, averaging 152.0 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.
Heinrich said he liked what he heard from Anderson, who said he planned to coach Heinrich like his own son.
"So I really appreciate that and really looking forward to that," Heinrich said. "He's going to lean on me at times because he wants me to be the best I can be, which, of course, is what I want. But he's never going to be malicious. He's never going to make it personal, and that's good."
Anderson briefly touched on his time in Buffalo.
"He said he really had a great relationship with his players and he's looking forward to being back in the college ranks even more so," Heinrich said. "Because it's more of a personal connection as opposed to co-workers, which was essentially the case on the pro level."
Heinrich and his parents, Don and Gerri, will make their way to Fayetteville for an official visit this weekend.
Narrowing down
Arkansas will host 12 to 15 prospects on official visits this weekend, and the list includes some of the best talent in the nation.
Cornerback Kristian Fulton of Metairie (La.) Rummel and his teammate, Razorbacks defensive line commitment Briston Guidry, will visit this weekend.
Fulton, 6-0, 170 pounds, has listed his top three as LSU, Arkansas and Florida. but he is also considering Miami and South Carolina. ESPN rates him the No. 3 cornerback and the No. 35 overall prospect in the nation.
He and Guidry visited Fayetteville last spring.
"I just love the vibe around there. It fits me," Fulton said. "It's chill, and the coaching staff is good over there."
Fulton has often discussed on Twitter about the struggles of making his college decision.
"It's hard because it determines the next 40 years of my life. It's bigger than football to me," Fulton said.
Fulton, who visited LSU over the weekend, will make an official visits to Florida on Jan. 29 and then announce his decision on national signing day, Feb. 3.
Arrival list
Others expected to official visits to Arkansas this weekend include safety Brandon Jones, 6-0, 195, 4.4, of Nacogdoches, Texas; cornerback Eric Cuffee, 6-0, 188, of Waco, Texas; receiver Tyrie Cleveland, 6-3, 190, 4.32, of Houston Westfield; safety Calvin Bundage, 6-3, 200, 4.5, of Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe; and linebacker Giovanni LaFrance, 6-1, 239, 4.80, of New Orleans St Augustine.
ESPN rates Jones is the No. 1 safety in the nation, Cleveland the No. 6 receiver and Cuffee the No. 10 cornerback.
Other Arkansas commitments planning to visit include linebacker De'jon Harris, 6-1, 230, 4.7, of Marrero (La.) John Ehret and receiver Kofi Boateng, 6-1, 180, 4.6, Arlington (Texas) Lamar.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 01/19/2016