Arkansas is mining Destrehan, La., again.

The Razorbacks signed highly regarded athlete Jerico Nelson in February, and they are back in the small town of about 11, 000, located 22 miles outside of New Orleans, trying to persuade defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore to be part of their 2009 class.

Sentimore, 6-3, 280, 4. 6 speed in the 40-yard dash, is considered one of the best in the nation at his position. He recorded 120 tackles, 31 for losses, and 16 sacks last year for the 15-0 Wildcats, who won the Class 5 A state championship last season.

Sentimore estimates he has more than 25 scholarship offers, including one from the Hogs. He said he plans to talk to Coach Stephen Robicheaux and narrow his list in the next few days and decide which football camps to attend this summer.

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Sentimore said Nelson hopes they’ll be teammates again.

“He told me it was a nice place and he really wants to see me up there,” Sentimore said. “He wants me to be a Razorback.”

Sentimore and Nelson traveled to Fayetteville for the Razorbacks’ Red-White game in April.

“I like it up there,” said Sentimore, who has a 4. 30 pro-shuttle time “I like the stuff they were saying and what the defensive line coach was telling me. It’s a nice place. They had a lot of fans there for a spring game. I really enjoyed myself up there.

“ I think Coach Petrino has a good personality. I like him. When he first saw me, he gave me some props. He was telling me I come off the ball fast and that I’m a fast kid, I play well with my hands.”

Sentimore has outstanding strength to go along with his speed. He has a 385-pound bench press and about a 500-pound squat, and he was impressed with Arkansas’ highly regarded weight room.

“They said it was the best weight room in the nation,” Sentimore said. “It’s like 100 yards [long ] or something like that. That thing is nice.”

Just as impressive was the facility’s nutritional area, which features a juice bar and ice cream / protein machine.

“I liked the part when they fixed me a shake up there,” Sentimore said. “It was a banana shake. Oh my God, it was good.”

HARRIS DOES IT ALL Lonoke athlete Clarence Harris 6-2, 175, 4. 5, is one of the more versatile players in the state and is starting to draw plenty of attention. In addition to returning punts and kickoffs last season, Harris saw time at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, finishing with more than 700 yards rushing, more than 900 yards receiving and approximately 300 yards passing. Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Memphis, Tulsa and Arkansas State showed up during spring practice to take a look at Harris. Michigan State, Auburn, Alabama and Missouri also are showing interest. Harris was one of more than 100 prospects who attended Arkansas ’ spring game, where he got a chance to talk to assistant coach Tim Horton, who is recruiting him.

“He was telling me I needed to come to camp,” Harris said. “He said he looked at my highlight film.”

Harris said he plans to attend a few camps outside the state this summer.

“I’m going to the Mississippi State camp and Ole Miss, and then probably going to the Tulsa camp,” Harris said.

Harris said Tulsa assistant Gus Malzahn and Ole Miss assistant James Shibest have indicated a scholarship offer is a possibility if he makes it to their camps. Harris hasn’t decided whether he will attend Arkansas’ camp. “I don’t know because all of them are at the same time,” he said. “I might go to Arkansas, too.” Harris said he’s made some gains in the weight room and with his speed during off-season workouts. He said he’s squatting around 315 pounds and has run a 4. 48 and 4. 50 40-yard dash at school.

A MCDONALD FAN CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Van Coleman, who’s covered the national recruiting scene for more than 30 years, said recent Arkansas basketball signee Montrell McDonald could have averaged 20 to 25 points a game if he hadn’t split minutes because of an eight- or nine-man rotation at Cowley County Community College.

McDonald, 6-6, 185, can play off guard or small forward, and Coleman said he believes McDonald has a bright future. McDonald averaged 13. 4 points, 5. 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2. 1 blocks this past season, and led the team with 70 steals.

“I look for him coming into Arkansas giving great offense off the bench initially,” Coleman said. “He becomes a starter before the year is out and becomes an all-league player as a senior.” E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@ar kansasonline. com