University of Arkansas linebacker commitment Jordan Crook and the No. 13 ranked Duncanville (Texas) Panthers will welcome the No. 1 rated team in the nation for a showdown tonight.
The 7:30 p.m. kickoff will be streamed by FloFootball and will feature MaxPreps' top-ranked Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei team that has 12 seniors with Power 5 offers and an impressive list of highly regarded underclassmen.
Duncanville has five prospects committed to five Power 5 schools, including Crook along with offensive lineman Jaylen Early who has committed to Florida State. The Panthers also have ESPN top 25 senior prospect and defensive end Omari Abor.
Panther Stadium holds 10,000 fans and is expected to be full.
"I think 5,000 tickets have been sold so far," said Crook on Wednesday."I think they said it's on track to sell out."
Crook, 6-0, 225 pounds, had scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Missouri, Baylor, Nebraska, Michigan, Southern Cal, Texas Tech, Colorado, Illinois and others before selecting Arkansas.
He's determined not to allow the hype of the game to impact his focus.
"I'm just ready to play," Crook said. "Ready to go out there and have fun with my team."
ESPN rates Crook a 3-star prospect and the No. 31 inside linebacker in the nation for the 2022 class. He recorded 93 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and 3 interceptions, including 2 returned for scores as a junior.
Crook is staying in touch with Arkansas linebackers coach Michael Scherer.
"I've definitely been talking to Coach Scherer a lot," said Crook, who has a 3.4 grade point average. "He's been hitting me up everyday asking me how practice has been going. Telling me about the linebackers and how they've been doing."
A team captain, Crook said schools have backed off recruiting him since his pledge to the Hogs.
He made an official visit to Fayetteville on June 25-27 and returned for a cookout that featured several other prospects and commitments on July 31. He went public with his pledge to the Hogs during the latter visit.
Crook plans to visit again soon.
"I'll be up there September 11th for the Texas game," Crook said.
He represents his future school while attending classes at Duncanville.
"I got a lot of Arkansas gear," he said. "I'm always geared out. Backpack. I got it all. Have some gloves and stuff."
Duncanville is loaded with young talent, and Crook isn't shy about telling them about the Razorbacks. He's high on sophomore Colin Simmons, a promising linebacker with a Michigan State offer and sophomore safety Ka'Davion Dotson, who has several offers including Arkansas.
"I just tell them it's the place to be," Crook said. "Obviously I've been talking to Colin since he's in the linebacker room. I've been telling him about Coach Scherer. Coach Scherer knows about him. It's in the works, but we're just focused on the season but Coach Scherer knows about Colin."
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
