Greenwood quarterback Connor Noland was recently contacted by four schools who hoped he would change his mind after committing to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Noland said Florida, Arizona State and two other teams told him he had a scholarship offer if he would flip on his pledge to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, but Noland gave them a firm no.
"I am 110 percent committed to Arkansas, and I really have zero interest in talking to anyone trying to change my commitment," he said.
Noland, 6-2, 190 pounds, picked the Razorbacks last July over scholarship offers from Texas A&M, UCLA, Penn State, Kentucky, Missouri, Ole Miss, North Carolina and others.
Before committing to the Hogs, Noland visited approximately 30 schools in all five power conferences and a few outside the Power 5.
"I saw the best of the best facilities and sat with some of the greatest coaches in the country," Noland said. "I knew pretty early in my visits that Arkansas would be very hard to top. I committed early to let the Arkansas coaches know my loyalty level, and I also wanted to help recruit the best players possible to join me in Fayetteville."
ESPN rates Noland as a 4-star recruit, the No. 14 pocket-passer and No. 232 overall prospect in the nation. He completed 151 of 229 passes for 2,095 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and also had 553 rushing yards on 122 carries while helping Greenwood to a 12-1 record and state runner-up finish.
Noland, who's also committed to Arkansas' baseball program as a right-handed pitcher, said is trying to lure other prospects to Fayetteville.
"I'm very proud to be an Arkansas Razorback," Noland said.
No Model T
Arkansas tight end commitment Luke Ford will arrive in Fayetteville today for the first time since his pledge to the Hogs on March 14.
Ford, 6-7, 250, of Carterville, Ill., had a scholarship offer from Southern Illinois before the Hogs extended him his second one Jan. 23. Since then, he's seen more than 20 other offers come his way, including ones Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida.
He said he plans to participate in the Hogs' prospect camp Saturday. Despite his commitment, schools are still aggressive in recruiting Ford.
"They say, 'How solid are you with Arkansas?' and I'm saying I'm a 100 percent with Arkansas and they're like 'All right, all right. Well, we're still going to come check you out,' " Ford said. "OK, all right. Go ahead spend your time and money."
"I've always been 100 percent ever since I committed to them. I love Arkansas. I love the coaches, the facilities. It's a good fit for me. They've sent five tight ends to the NFL in the past seven years."
Ford has seen his stock skyrocket nationally since his commitment. ESPN rates him the No. 2 tight end and the No. 104 overall prospect in the nation.
"It's really awesome," Ford said. "I have to thank the Lord for blessing with a lot of this, and I also would like to thank all of the people around me that pushed me to work hard."
Getting a look
Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith has mined his home state of Louisiana for talent and now has an eye on junior cornerback Jordan Clark, who will visit Fayetteville today.
"I'm looking forward to see the campus and talking to the coaches and hopefully start our relationships and make some connections and some ties up there," Clark said. "I want to see the facilities and see how the coaches interact with the players."
Clark, 5-10, 165, 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Baton Rouge University Lab, has scholarship offers from SMU and Houston while drawing interest from the Hogs and others.
"I like Arkansas a lot," Clark said. "They're a very physical football team, and I like their defense."
He runs a leg on his school's 400-meter relay team, as well as the 800 and 1,600 relay teams. He has a best of 21 feet, 8 inches in the long jump.
His father, Ryan, played safety for LSU and went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL and was on the Pittsburgh Steelers team that won the 2009 Super Bowl. He's currently an analyst with ESPN.
"He said to keep a level head and don't go to a school just because it's a big school," Clark said. "Go where you can play and make an impact early."
Clark has a 3.0 grade-point average and is looking to major in mass communications with an eye towards broadcasting after football like his father.
"I like journalism and I like talking in front of people," he said.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 06/02/2017