Ole Miss offensive line commitment Robert Scott had an “amazing” official visit to Arkansas this weekend.
"It went amazing, it was not what I expected,” Scott said. “As much as I've been to Fayetteville, this is the most I've seen because all I've been to was the stadium, go to camp and then go back home. So, this was a different and I'm glad I got a chance to see this. Now I know when I make my decision, I know what I'm looking for.”
Scott (6-6, 310 pounds) of Conway is down to Arkansas, Ole Miss and Florida State after receiving numerous other scholarship offers during the recruiting process. He visited the Seminoles before his trip to Fayetteville and visited the Rebels in December.
The highlight of the visit was seeing more of Fayetteville and learning the history of the program, including that the team's mascot once was the Cardinals.
"Just going and seeing the town. I learned the history - like I didn't know we were the bird,” Scott said. “I didn't know that at one point, and then they became a hog. That was crazy, I didn't know that. I learned something new.”
Scott tweeted a picture of himself and Arkansas coach Sam Pittman from the Arkansas-TCU basketball game and the Razorback fans responded with more than 2,300 likes along with 167 retweets and hundreds of comments.
"You know how the fans, how loyal and excited they are to have me down here,” Scott said. “It's still going. I woke up this morning and it keeps going, so I was like, 'OK, cool.’"
Other Arkansas recruits and players also chimed in and encouraged him to play at Arkansas.
"It means a lot,” Scott said. “It just shows that they care about the players. I've been to a lot of schools and you can tell Arkansas fans care.”
Pittman, offensive line coach Brad Davis and other staff members impressed Scott.
"They really showed me that I need to stay at home,” Scott said. “You can tell that they care about their players, especially this new staff. Just the vibe was different. It was a good vibe.”
ESPN rates Scott a 3-star recruit, the No. 65 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 4 prospect in Arkansas. Pittman and Davis are hoping to be able to mentor and coach Scott.
“"It's crazy, because the word around town is they're going to get me where I need to be and help me develop into a great offensive lineman,” Scott said.
Scott’s mother liked the trip, too.
"She had a good time,” Scott said. “She was talking to the people up here while I was going out and I think she enjoyed it."
Defensive coordinator Barry Odom and Davis were the first to extend an SEC offer to Scott while they were at Missouri. He’s previously stated a desire to go out of state for college, but Arkansas seemed to make some headway with him about opportunities after college.
"A lot of coaches tell me, 'You can always go on vacation down in Florida,' stuff like that,” Scott said. “Just to stay at home and the benefits afterward if I don't go to the pros, all of the connections that are down here in Arkansas. I feel like that's a big deal down here, there's a bunch of connections.”
Scott, who was hosted by freshman safety Jalen Catalon, said his upcoming decision on Monday or Tuesday, will be difficult.
"Yes, I think it is,” Scott said. “At one point, I didn't even feel like coming down here, but I'm glad I did. So now I can just put the pros and cons and just see."