Arkansas native and running back target Amauri Anderson visited the University of Arkansas on Thursday and was able to get acquainted with running backs coach Kolby Smith.
Anderson, 5-9 and 178 pounds, of Milton (Ga.) High School, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Florida State, Kansas State, Colorado, South Carolina, Miami and others.
He received his Razorback offer from former running backs coach Jimmy Smith in May of last year.
He previously visited the Hogs for the Mississippi State game in October. The recent trip to Fayetteville was his first time to meet Kolby Smith in person.
"It went real good, went well," Anderson said. "I got to talk to him after the practice and got to watch it and see what the guys did."
Anderson, who lived in Little Rock until moving to Georgia in middle school, has numerous family members living in Blytheville, where his parents were raised.
He mentioned what he noticed about Smith at practice.
"He was very vocal and very detailed about everything," Anderson said.
Anderson rushed 124 times for 509 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior while splitting time with junior running back TJ Lester, who has a scholarship offer from Indiana.
Smith, who officially joined the Razorback staff March 12, spent the previous four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
"He was telling me he's still new to everything," Anderson said. "He came from the Miami Dolphins and it was a lot different."
Smith played running back at Louisville under current Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino from 2003-2006 before being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
He also played for the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars before wrapping up his career in 2010.
Anderson said he's been communicating Smith since his hiring. They talked last week leading up to his trip to Fayetteville.
"He called me and was just chopping it up with me, and I told him I was actually going to be down there," Anderson said.
After the visit to Arkansas, Anderson said his top four schools in no particular order are Arkansas, Florida State, Kansas State and Ole Miss.
Wilson upgraded
Arkansas quarterback commitment Grayson Wilson's MVP performances at the U.S. Army Combine at Frisco, Texas, in December and the Under Armour Next Camp in Dallas on March 10 has earned him 4-star status by two recruiting services.
Wilson, 6-3 and 200 pounds, of Central Arkansas Christian in North Little Rock, committed to the Hogs over scholarship offers from Illinois, Pittsburgh and the University of Central Arkansas last year in April when he was not yet ranked by the four major recruiting services.
He outshined more than 70 other quarterbacks for MVP honors at the U.S. Army Combine and shined over the weekend, and was named one of the top two quarterbacks at the event.
Wilson received an invite to play in the 2024 U.S. Army Bowl game after his performance.
He and Keelon Wilson of Duncanville, Texas, were named quarterback co-MVPs out of approximately 25 quarterbacks at the Under Armour event.
Rivals was the first to name Wilson a 4-star prospect. The site also has him the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Prior to his Under Armour showing, Wilson was a 3-star recruit by ESPN.
That changed after Craig Haubert, ESPN's national recruiting coordinator, was able to see Wilson in action at the Under Armour event.
"He's one of those guys that we came back and already made a note to adjust his grade the next time we do an update," Haubert said of Wilson shortly after seeing him win MVP honors.
Haubert backed up those words this week by elevating Wilson to a 4-star recruit and to being the No. 15 pocket-passer and No. 243 overall prospect in the nation for the 2025 class.
Wilson completed 209 of 308 passes for 3,413 yards and 41 touchdowns with 2 interceptions as a junior for the Mustangs and also rushed for 837 yards and 15 touchdowns.
On3.com and 247 Sports currently rate him as a 3-star prospect. He's participating in the Elite 11 regional in Oxford, Miss., today in hopes to get an invite to the Elite 11 finals this summer.
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com