The University of Arkansas is hoping today's Fall Kickoff Cookout is as successful as last year's Wooo Pig Nic cookout in July.
Ten of the Razorbacks' 2019 signees attended last year's event.
The Hogs are expected to host numerous top prospects for this year's event that starts at 4 p.m. Offensive line target Brady Ward will make his second trip to Fayetteville for the cookout.
"Right now, I'm just trying to get to know the coaching staff a little bit more and get to know a few of the players and the guys that are committed there ... and get close to them and see if I like them," said Ward, who visited the Hogs in February.
Ward, 6-7, 310 pounds, of Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's Episcopal, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Tennessee, Oregon, North Carolina and numerous others.
[VIDEO: Brady Ward highlights » arkansasonline.com/726ward]
He said he and Razorbacks tight end commitment Brandon Frazier have developed a nice relationship.
"I've been talking to him for a good bit," Ward said. "We talk about normal stuff, but every once in awhile he'll text me, 'Man, when are you going to commit here?' or something like that. I like him a lot. We have a lot in common. We're both Southern boys. We like to hunt and fish."
Ward's talks with offensive line coach Dustin Fry don't come with pressure.
"He's telling me there's really no rush, that he has a spot for me," Ward said. "He's not trying to push me, but he really wants me to come there."
A second-team MaxPreps Football Junior All-American, Ward is rated a 4-star prospect by CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
He enjoys his conversations with Arkansas special assistant Sean Tuohy and Fry.
"I think it's because he's young and he gets us," Ward said of Tuohy. "That's part of the reason why I like coach Fry so much because he's young and I can kind of relate to him a bit because he understands younger people more."
Ward, whose father Brian was an offensive lineman for LSU in the early 1990s, is focusing on four schools.
"I'm down to a few schools, Arkansas is definitely in one of those spots," Ward said. "I'm down to a few schools like Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Oklahoma."
After his trip to Fayetteville, Ward will visit Georgia on Saturday and Florida State on Sunday.
"It's kind of just narrowing it down right now, but I'm trying to make my decision soon, but if I'm not sure yet, I'm going to wait until after the season, so I can focus on my senior year," Ward said. "I'll get back to it once my season is over and make my decision after that, but I'm trying to do it before then."
Scheduling visits to schools can be as trying as picking a school.
"Just finding the time to go to the places that I want to go to and get a really good look at all of the places and decide which I like more and narrowing it down it's a little more difficult that I thought it would be," Ward said.
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 07/26/2019