The University of Arkansas coaching staff didn’t need to exhaust itself in nabbing two converted tight ends from the Little Rock area.

Central Arkansas Christian’s D. J. Williams required only an open-handed approach, while all it took for Little Rock Catholic’s Jake Bequette was a gentle nudge from a family legacy.

Williams (6-4, 245 pounds, 4. 68 seconds in the 40-yard dash ) made an oral commitment to the Razorbacks during a senior season in which he recorded 69 unassisted tackles and eight sacks as a defensive end while leading Central Arkansas Christian to the Class 4 A quarterfinals. He made that commitment official by signing his letter of intent Wednesday afternoon.

Projected as a tight end in college, Williams had 27 catches for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2006. His top season as a passcatcher came in 2005, when he had 55 receptions for 744 yards and 5 touchdowns.

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Bequette (6-5, 252, 4. 76 ) also likely will undergo a conversion to tight end upon arriving in Fayetteville. A two-year starter at defensive end, Bequette finished 2006 with five sacks and an interception. As a junior, Bequette had 1 8 / 2 sacks while leading Catholic to a 11-2 finish and an appearance in the Class AAAAA semifinals.

Bequette’s time on defense was borne out of need and not any deficiencies as a blocker or pass-catcher, Catholic Coach Ellis Register said.

“Tight end is where they’re definitely starting me out,” Bequette said.

Williams had narrowed a list of 11 Division I offers to Arkansas and Oklahoma State, and said the Razorbacks put themselves over the top with a laid-back recruiting effort.

“What helped out a lot, the way Arkansas did its recruiting process, no pressure at all,” Williams said. “I think that’s good for recruits, to have no pressure. They gave me an offer and said, ‘It’s on the table. It’s yours to take. We respect your decision if you don’t decide.’”

It wasn’t always like that with the rest of the schools involved.

“Other colleges were like, ‘This is an offer. Other people may take it, so it may not be there in the end,’” Williams said.

Bequette said he didn’t get the same runaround, but did face factors of a different sort. Bequette’s father, Jay, played at Arkansas from 1980-1982, while his grandfather George Bequette was a Razorback from 1954-1956.

Bequette’s uncle Chris Bequette also played for Arkansas, lettering in 1984-1987.

While Bequette said the family connection wasn’t his sole reason for signing, it made it easier for him to initially commit to the Razorbacks back in April.

“It was definitely a no-brainer,” Bequette said.

Williams’ high school coach, Tim Perry, said he has not had an athlete actively recruited like Williams, and the process was a wake-up call from a coaching standpoint.

Perry said he was also caught off-guard by the “no guarantees” attitude shown by some recruiters.

“Some of the other schools that we visited that offered him... boy, they were really selling him hard,” Perry said. “In fact, some that we visited last spring wanted him to commit before we left. Just an unofficial weekend trip almost eight months before the signing day. Those coaches either came across as concerned or upset or confused as to why he didn’t commit. This has really opened my eyes.”

Williams made his oral commitment to the Razorbacks before the end of his senior season, but Perry said the move wasn’t a response to the recruiting push. Perry said Williams was battling some “nagging injuries” and had expressed concern that the injuries could affect the status of his offers.

As a result, Perry agreed to let Williams make an announcement despite the fact the two had talked before the season and agreed to delay any announcements until the season’s end.

“Once that was done, he put that behind him and focused on our season,” Perry said. “I appreciated that about him, and I think his teammates did, too.”

Williams said the turmoil surrounding the Razorbacks program — which began Dec. 13 when freshman receiver Damian Williams asked for his release and continued with the January departures of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain — didn’t affect his decision.

“I went up there for a practice and saw all the seniors practice,” Williams said. “All the players that are staying, I like the way they play and they’re dedicated to the team. The players that weren’t dedicated, obviously they left, and I guess that’s better than them staying.”

Information for this report was contributed by Robert Yates of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette