FAYETTEVILLE -- On Thursday-Saturday, Arkansas hosted receiver Jonathan Nance and offensive tackle D'Marcus Hayes, teammates at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Nance, 6-1, 181 pounds, 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, committed to the Razorbacks in mid-May without visiting. After the visit, he said he was pleased with what he saw of his future home.
"With Arkansas being in the SEC, I was expecting the best and that's what it was," Nance said.
He said he found that food is plentiful during official visits.
"They fed me a lot," Nance said. "I probably gained about three pounds. I'm not going to lie."
Nance, who plans to graduate in December, recorded 31 receptions for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He has three years to play two at Arkansas.
Razorbacks receivers Keon Hatcher and Jared Cornelius were Nance's hosts for the visit.
"They were cool. It was just like I fit in right along with them." he said.
Hayes, 6-6, 315, has scholarship offers from Florida, Auburn, Louisville, Mississippi State, South Florida, Iowa State and others. He said he meshed well with Arkansas offensive line coach Kurt Anderson during the visit.
"He kind of reminds me of my O-line coach at Gulf Coast," Hayes said. "I feel like we can get along well."
Hayes said the Hogs are in good standing with him.
"They're definitely one of my top schools," he said. "It's my first official visit, so I really don't have much to compare it to. I took [an unofficial visit] to Auburn a week before this weekend."
He said he also plans to take official visits to Louisville and Cincinnati.
"Right now, I'm waiting to schedule my other two," Hayes said. "I'm not sure who I'm going schedule just yet."
Hayes said he felt very comfortable with Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema.
"He's a real laid-back kind of guy," he said. "I really liked him. We visited his house and he had the reggae music going. He's just a real cool guy."
Large, in charge
Offensive lineman Trace Oldner weighed 255 pounds while taking part in Arkansas' three-day camp last year. Fast forward to this year's camp and he weighed in at 295.
Oldner, who stands 6-5, plays for powerhouse Katy High School in Texas and has a scholarship offer from Indiana. He is also drawing interest from Arkansas, Texas A&M and others.
"I have definitely put on some weight and gotten taller and bigger," Oldner said at the camp, which began Sunday and ends today. "I have probably matured a little bit more, got more experience on the varsity level. So I definitely expect to come out and perform 10 times better."
Another SEC school is starting to show interest.
"LSU called my offensive line coach and I got several letters during spring ball," Oldner said.
Oldner's father is from Dumas and his mother is a Louisiana native who was a cheerleader at LSU.
"It has pretty much been a house divided growing up," Oldner said. "I kind of just give them both a little ground and hear them both out."
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema's history with offensive linemen has made a big impressive on Oldner.
"I definitely think it is great how he puts the offensive linemen in the NFL," Oldner said. "One thing I like about Arkansas is the respect for the offensive linemen. They definitely glorify the big guys a little bit more. So that is one thing that I really appreciate."
Oldner would love to see the Hogs extend a scholarship offer to him.
"It would mean a lot," Oldner said. "It would be amazing."
Enjoyed camp
Cornerback Langston Frederick had scholarship offers from Michigan State, Missouri, Iowa State, Minnesota and others going into Arkansas' three-day camp.
An offer from the Hogs would put them in contention, he said.
"They would be up there," Frederick said.
Frederick, 5-10, 181, of League City (Texas) Clear Springs, was consistent in his ability to cover the receivers at the camp. He reports recording a time of 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash during a Nike The Opening Regional camp this year.
He said he was impressed with Arkansas' facilities.
"They have a lot of great stuff here," Frederick said. "A lot of striking stuff in the weight room to help with your press and like D-line hand movement."
Frederick had 60 tackles, 3 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recovered fumbles, 3 blocked field goals and 1 blocked punt last season. He said he improved at the camp, thanks to tips from Arkansas defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads.
"He taught me a lot out here, like mirror techniques and good places to place your eyes," he said.
He also said he enjoyed the cooler climate in Fayetteville.
"I like the good weather," Frederick said. "It's cool down here. In Texas, it's hot and humid ."
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 06/21/2016