LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas picked up oral commitments Saturday from running back Kody Walker and defensive lineman Demarcus Hodge.
Walker, 6-2, 230 pounds, 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Jefferson City, Mo., chose the Hogs over Missouri after also considering scholarship offers from Minnesota and Tulsa. He said Arkansas better suited him than Missouri.
“It came down to that I was going to get a good education anywhere I went, so it came down to the football aspect of it,” said Walker, who made his decision public a little after 9 a.m. “I found that Arkansas was a better fit for me with the pro-style offense and being able to play in the SEC, the better conference.”
Walker, who rushed for 1,536 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, said recruiting coordinator/running backs coach Tim Horton had a major impact on his decision.
“Coach Horton stayed in contact with me on a regular basis and sent a ton of letters,” Walker said. “He told me every time that he wanted to coach me, and I appreciated that.”
Hodge, 6-1, 295, 5.0, of Monroe, (La.) Neville, committed about 10 hours later after narrowing his list of 14 scholarship offers to the Hogs, TCU and Mississippi State. He said he and his parents came away impressed with Arkansas after visiting Fayetteville in May.
“Ever since I stepped on campus, it felt right,” said Hodge, who reports a 315-pound bench press, a 480 squat and a 30 1 /2-inch vertical. “I knew from then on out I would feel comfortable being there the next three to four years of my life.”
Walker and Hodge become the No. 15 and No. 16 commitments for the 2011 recruiting class. Oral commitments are nonbinding.
Sports, Pages 27 on 08/15/2010