Highly recruited linebacker Tackett Curtis has emerged as one of the nation's top prospects in the 2023 class and is a major priority for University of Arkansas linebackers coach Michael Scherer.
The coach and prospect relationship led the highly touted prospect to visit Fayetteville on June 17.
"I've been talking to coach Scherer a good little while now, just about every week talking on the phone with him,'' Curtis said. "The way he treated me and my family and just the way he talked to us and showed us everything they had made it a really fun day."
Curtis, 6-2, 215 pounds, 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Many, La., has accumulated 41 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, LSU, Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Colorado and others.
He and his family visited 13 schools, including Arkansas, Penn State, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Virginia and others in a span of a week. He said the Hogs stacked up well.
"Arkansas is definitely up there," Curtis said. "It's a great place."
His parents approved of what they experienced.
"They love it," he said. "I thought it would be a really nice fit for me, and they loved all the coaches and how they treated us and just the vibe we left Arkansas with."
Scherer and defensive coordinator Barry Odom showed him how the Hogs would utilize him.
"I feel like they're two really great coaches, and we were able to get on the board with both of them and see how they would use me in their defense," Curtis said. "They really looked like they knew what they're doing, and they're setting me up for success if I was to go there."
Seeing the success that senior linebacker Grant Morgan and junior linebacker Bumper Pool enjoyed last year highlighted his visit. Morgan became the first Razorback linebacker since Martell Spaight in 2014 to earn SEC first-team honors, and Pool earned second-team league honors.
"Getting to see how they used their past players and how they see me in some of their players they have right now, like Grant Morgan and Bumper Pool, and how they can use me and put me in that same spot," Curtis said, "and they think I would be even better than those guys and really flourish in the defense."
Curtis said his 45-minute meeting with Coach Sam Pittman stood out.
"He's so personable and funny. I loved talking to him and getting to hear some of the stories he told and how much he loved our family and getting to talk to us," Curtis said. "He's a pretty cool guy to be around."
He recorded 104 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and had 345 yards in kickoff returns and a touchdown to help lead the Tigers to a 12-0 record and the Class 2A state title as a sophomore.
Curtis was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A all-state team. He also was voted most outstanding defensive player.
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network votes for the high school Butkus Award given to the most outstanding prep linebacker in the nation.
"He's going to be a Butkus Award nominee for next year," Lemming said. "He runs well and can hit and shows very good flexibility, can break down in space and make plays. He's a 4-star prospect."
Like all prospects visiting a school for the first time, Curtis had an idea about what he would see during the trip.
"It was kind of better than what I expected it to be, with all the people there and the facilities," Curtis said. "They really have a nice stadium, nice facility, nice practice fields, nice indoor athletic center. It was all really, really nice.
"The people there are all like family with each other, and you can get that vibe and the culture they have so it's a really awesome place."
Curtis indicated he'll be back in Fayetteville.
"We're definitely going to try and come catch a game this fall and see the Razorbacks in action and see that stadium going crazy," he said. "I think that would be a lot of fun if we were able to come and do that."
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com