The recruiting efforts the University of Arkansas football coaching staff has a junior 4-star defensive back planning to visit Fayetteville for a third time in January.
Dallas Young, 6-1, 185 pounds, of Gardendale, Ala., visited the Hogs for the Auburn and Mississippi State games and said he is looking to make his way back to Fayetteville on Jan. 22 or 29.
"I just love what Coach [Sam] Pittman is doing there and how fast he's changing the culture, and plus it's the SEC," Young said. "I want to play where the best play."
Young said he communicates with Pittman, defensive coordinator Barry Odom, cornerbacks coach Sam Carter and special teams coordinator Scott Fountain. Talking to four coaches on a staff isn't the norm for Young in his recruitment.
"It's not normal. They're one of the schools showing me the most love, I will say that," he said.
Young, who plans to announce his college decision Jan. 1, said he talks to Carter on a regular basis.
"He and I are very close," Young said. "He's laid-back. I just like how he's upfront with me. He never sugarcoats anything."
Carter's candid conversations is something Young said he embraces.
"That's very important because a lot of schools want me, so I know they'll tell me what I want to hear," Young said. "But I want to hear stuff I really don't want to hear because I know when I get there, it's real and it's a business."
Young said he sees constructive criticism as a way to grow.
"I then can fix it and turn it into something positive," Young said. "I always want to hear the negative before the positive."
He also said the Arkansas fans and others stood out when he visited for Auburn and Mississippi State games.
"The people and how nice they were to me and just how they talked about Coach Pittman and the coaching staff and just the environment," Young said.
He has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Penn State, Colorado, West Virginia and others.
Young had 60 tackles, 3 sacks, 8 pass breakups, a recovered fumble and 2 blocked punts this season while leading the Rockets to the Class 6A quarterfinals.
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates Young as a 4-star prospect.
"Tall, good looking cover corner with excellent hands and feet," Lemming said. "Good body control, quick twitch athlete."
Young visited Alabama twice this fall and also made trips to Auburn and Alabama- Birmingham. He said he is open to playing safety or cornerback in college.
"I'm a DB, so wherever gets me on the field the fastest that's where I'm going to play," Young said.
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Dallas Young highlights
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