THE RECRUITING GUY

Next Wingo speedy on both sides of the football

Arkansas filled the mailbox of cornerback prospect Raymond Wingo over the weekend.

— St Louis University High School athlete Raymond Wingo received a scholarship offer from Arkansas two months ago and said he preferred to play cornerback in college.

Junior Bills Coach Gary Kornfeld, said he thinks Wingo, the younger brother of Arkansas running back Ronnie Wingo Jr., is outstanding on either side of the ball.

“I could see him being one heck of corner,” Kornfeld said. “But I tell you what, when he has the ball in his hands, he is special as well.”

Raymond Wingo, 6-1, 164 pounds, 4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has scored 25 touchdowns while rushing 142 times for 1,379 yards and completing 10 of 22 passes for 202 yards in 9 games this season. Defensively, he had 18 tackles, 5 assisted tackles and 5 interceptions.

“He did everything but serve up the water,” Kornfeld said. “I just know he’s gifted athlete. We had him at quarterback, running back, receiver, defensive back and kick return guy. He did everything for us.”

Kornfeld said Wingo’s speed and moves in the open field can make defenders look bad.

“He’s just as fast as any young man I’ve ever had,” Kornfeld said. “He can make a cut and not break speed. He’ll give you a little bit of a fake, and I’ve seen kids, their knees just buckle and he hasn’t stopped moving. He’s gone the other way and they’re on the ground.”

Wingo could be an offensive coordinator’s best friend because of his ability to play multiply positions, but Kornfeld said he likes his skills on the defensive side of the ball.

“I can see him being just an outstanding defensive back, shutdown corner,” he said.

Wingo’s ability to make people miss and his skills as a kickoff return specialist are special, Kornfeld said.

“He had so many doggone running plays [that were for] 80-plus yards,” Kornfeld said. “You’re just sitting there just going, ‘Oh my, look at how he did that. He buckled that kid. He made this move, he turned that move.’ All of sudden you don’t think anything is there and bam, he’s gone.

Like his brother, Wingo has exceptional speed. He was timed at 10.79 seconds in the 100 meters in the spring. Kornfeld said his speed is hard for opponents to match.

“If he ever gets a step to where he’s gone,” Kornfeld said.

“Even if you have the perfect angle, you might get him because of his speed. He’s just that fast. He’s not only fast, he’s quick. So he’s got that great combination.”

FINALLY PICKED

Quarterback Tyler Cogswell, 6-5, 225, 4.9, of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, an Arkansas commitment, played nine games without an interception before throwing one in the 10th game of the season against Naples (Fla.) Golden Gate on Friday.

He’s completed 81 of 133 passes for 1,660 yards and 23 touchdowns. The 9-1 Patriots open pay in the playoffs next week.

E-mail Richard Davenport at

rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports, Pages 31 on 11/11/2012