Editor’s note: This is an opinion column.
By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
There’s an old saying: Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a pattern.
Arkansas has made some huge strides in The Tribune’s coverage area, nabbing commitments from Pinson Valley’s T.J. Metcalf earlier in the summer and then from Moody’s Davion Dozier just last week. And now the Hogs are in the top 10 of Leeds’ Kavion Henderson.
Henderson, a 6-3, 240-pound junior, will make his commitment later this fall, and 247sports.com has him listed as a four-star recruit … he’s reportedly leaning toward Oklahoma or Arkansas after fielding —if I have my math right — 37 FBS offers, including big names like USC, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oregon and Michigan.
Make no mistake: Kavion is an enormously talented player with a huge upside. Opposing offenses have to account for him on every play, and you’ll see him double-teamed most of the time. It’s clear why so many colleges want him to come play. He just released his top 10 schools, and the Sooners and Razorbacks are on that list. So are Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas A&M and Cincinnati.
Arkansas offered him back on January 23, the day following Kavion’s visit on Junior Day for the Hogs.
Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman is one of the premier recruiters in the country, and he’s obviously liking what his scouts see in the metro Birmingham area. He’s also building something special over there in Little Rock. After a nine-win season in 2021 that included an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State, Pittman has the Hogs on the rise.
Now, recruiting (and playing) in the SEC West is never going to be easy. Alabama, Auburn and LSU will make sure of that. (And don’t forget that Auburn and LSU are also in Kavion’s top 10.) At the same time, it would be foolish of the Tide and Tigers to ignore the inroads that the Razorbacks are making into the state.
T.J. Metcalf over at Pinson Valley is a phenomenal talent but never had serious discussions with the premier programs in the state. Part of that, frankly, is that he never got the media attention he deserved. He was clearly an All-State caliber player at Pinson Valley in 2021, but several media folks who should be better informed had no idea who he was, and I’ve seen the text messages that back that information up.
Arkansas’ recruiting didn’t treat T.J. like that. They treated him like the D1 athlete that he is, and the Hogs picked up one of the top players in the state pretty easily.
As for Davion, he told me that the Razorbacks’ wide receivers coach was “just like me.” That ability from a coach to really connect with a recruit is a great asset. And Davion is such a straightforward, quality kid, a straight-shooting coach seems to be the way to go in recruiting players like him.
Dozier’s considered a high three-star prospect with tremendous potential, and Arkansas got him, too.
Now if Kavion, with all of his physical attributes, work ethic and talent, goest to the Hogs as well? That’s a pattern that will have a lot of local fans yelling Woo Pig, Sooie.
Bobby Mathews is sports editor at The Tribune and the author of the novel, Living the Gimmick. Reach him on Twitter: @bobbymathews or via email: bobby.mathews@trussvilletribune.com.