Arkansas picked up a big oral commitment from one of the nation’s finest cornerbacks and track sprinters Friday afternoon. David Gordon had more than 20 scholarship offers but chose Arkansas over LSU and Oklahoma.

Gordon, 6-0, 175 pounds, has 4. 4 speed in the 40-yard dash and has recorded times of 10. 41 in the 100 meters and 21. 22 in the 200 at Tulsa East Central. He planned to commit at Arkansas’ football camp today but decided to go ahead and pull the trigger.

Gordon’s father and uncle are from the Fort Smith area, as are many other family members. He said Arkansas had a “home feeling.”

“It’s where my heart tells me to go,” Gordon said. “It’s the place that I feel has the less risk factor and I think I can make an impact. It’s close to home, my family is from there and I have personal relationships with the coaches. I feel like I’ll be taken care of. It’s just a good place. It’s home.” Other schools that made scholarship offers, Gordon said, included Miami, Michigan, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Gordon said playing at Arkansas would prove beneficial to him after his playing days.

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“I think going there would open up opportunities, he said. “ It’s a place I can see myself at after college and I can get a great degree from there.” Arkansas quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee, a Tulsa native, built a strong relationship with him, Gordon said.

“I bonded with him immediately,” Gordon said of McGee. “He’s great coach and more importantly, he’s a great person. If you have a problem, you can go to him. He’s like a brother figure. It’s the type relationship that athletes like to have with their coaches.”

Gordon had 11 receptions for an average of about 30 yards a catch and 6 touchdowns at receiver and had 23 unassisted tackles and 5 interceptions despite missing 4 games with a high ankle sprain. He hopes to be a two-way player at Arkansas.

“I would like to play on both sides of the ball,” Gordon said. “Me and Coach McGee have talked a little bit about it.”

Gordon is commitment No. 6 for the 2008 class. Oral commitments are non-binding.