Khiry Battle, a safety / running back from Dacula, Ga., orally committed to Arkansas last summer, but his commitment could be best labeled as soft following former Coach Houston Nutt’s departure for Ole Miss.

Battle, 6-1, 210 pounds, 4. 55 seconds in the 40-yard dash, made an official visit to Oxford, Miss., last weekend and will arrive in Fayetteville on Friday to start his visit with the Hogs.

“I committed to Coach Nutt when he was at Arkansas and the coaching staff ended up at Ole Miss, so that became a better situation as far as chances for me going to Ole Miss,” Battle said.

Battle said the coach-player relationship is very important to him.

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“It will basically boil down to the coaching staff,” said Battle, who recorded 49 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble, 2 pass breakups and 1 interception this season. “When Coach [Bobby ] Petrino got [to Arkansas ], the whole recruiting process started over for Arkansas. I’m trying to get to know the coaches and get to know the running backs coach.”

A positive for the Razorbacks is that quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee coached at Northwestern, where Battle’s brother, Deante, just finished his career.

Battle has said Arkansas is recruiting him as a running back, and it appears Ole Miss is doing the same after he told Rebels assistant Chris Vaughn he felt running back was a more natural fit for him.

Battle will visit Georgia Tech or Central Florida next weekend. WRIGHT CHECKING OPTIONS

Memphis Whitehaven linebacker Tenarius Wright orally committed to Arkansas in November but decided to take some official visits after Houston Nutt’s resignation. He visited Kentucky on Jan. 11 and made his way to Fayetteville last weekend.

“It went pretty good, and I got a chance to talk to the coaches and see a little bit more of the school,” Wright said. “The coaches were pretty cool. I would say my relationship got better with them and Coach [Bobby ] Petrino too. He was about what I thought he would be. He was more of a laid-back coach and knows the game real well. He’s a good coach.”

Wright, 6-2, 225, 4. 6, recorded 92 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 1 interception this season for Whitehaven, despite being limited by an injury. Wright has the physical maturity to contribute next year should he sign with the Razorbacks.

Wright will visit Memphis on Jan. 25 and North Carolina on Feb. 1. He will make his final decision around signing day. He said Arkansas had a slight lead over other schools. ARIZONA COMMITMENT TO VISIT

Athlete Tramain Thomas, 6-2, 180, 4. 5, of Winnie (Texas ) East Chambers will make an official visit to Arkansas this weekend. Thomas committed to Arizona in December but is taking visits to other schools.

Thomas rushed for 1, 352 yards and five touchdowns this year. He had 3, 551 yards rushing and 50 touchdowns and more than 2, 900 yards passing with 25 touchdowns in his career. East Chambers Coach Tony Valastro said Thomas has a great combination of athleticism and leadership abilities. “I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and he’s the best all-round athlete I’ve ever coached,” Valastro said. “He’s got a great personality as a kid, great leadership skills.”

ODDS & ENDS Arkansas defensive tackles coach Bobby Allen and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee were in Pittsburg, Texas, on Wednesday to see cornerback / wide receiver Kendall Wright. Wright, 5-11, 165, 4. 34, has seven or eight scholarship offers and is expected to visit Arkansas this weekend.... Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and secondary coach Lorenzo Ward will be at Alpharetta (Ga. ) Chattahoochee today to visit safety Elton Ford. Ford is expected to take an official visit to Arkansas this weekend. They may also try to see defensive tackle Justin Smith, who committed to Ole Miss after visiting there last weekend. Smith had committed to the Hogs over the summer. Louisville coaches were at the school Wednesday to see Smith.