LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ latest oral commitment, junior college All-American Johnathan McClure,is the second offensive lineman to commit to the Razorbacks and is expected to compete for immediate playing time.
McClure, 6-4, 305 pounds, plays at Butler County Community College in Kansas, and he will graduate in December and be able to go through spring practice.
“Once he gets his hands on people, he’s really good at finishing people,” Butler offensive line coach Cody Oates said. “He plays very violent in the game and he really gets after the opponent and really tries to impose his will upon the defense. That’s something we think is very important and he’s really done a good job buying into that.”
McClure, whose grandmother is from Huntsville, earned second-team All-America honors as a freshman, but Oates said he is a much improved player this season.
“His improvement from last year as a freshman All-American to this year has been amazing,” Oates said. “He’s a lot more complete player than he was last year at this point. He really bought in and grew up in the off season this year and matured.
“He kind of realized there was a goal out in front of him.”
IMPRESSED BY HOGS
Several in-state prospects came away impressed with the atmosphere at the Arkansas-Ole Miss game Saturday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Heber Springs defensive end/tight end Zach Rasmussen is drawing interest from Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Illinois, Arkansas State and Memphis.
“I liked it a lot,” Rasmussen said. “It was pretty awesome. The moment I walked down the road I saw people tailgating and saw the huge fan base.Then I walk in to the stadium and the atmosphere was great the whole game.”
Rasmussen, 6-3, 247 pounds, 4.91 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has 39 tackles, 12 for loss, 51/2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble and 1 blocked punt. He was born in Minnesota and moved to Tennessee at 5. He moved to Arkansas in the summer of 2011 from Cordova, Tenn., where he became a Tennessee Volunteers fan, but he has taken a liking to the Razorbacks.
“They’re definitely at the top of my list now,” Rasmussen said of the Hogs.
Camden Fairview receiver Deion Holliman, 5-8, 170, 4.4, is gaining a reputation as one of the top play makers in the state despite playing only about a half in each of the Cardinals’ eight lopsided victories.
Being able to watch pregame warm-ups Saturday was one of the highlights for Holliman.
“I’m use to seeing them on TV,” Holliman said. “I never thought it would be me. It gave me motivation to want to be there and work hard to be there.”
Holliman has rushed 22 times for 234 yards with 4 touchdowns and has 19 receptions for 361 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He is a cousin to former Razorbacks running back De’Anthony Curtis.
Receiving a scholarship offer from the Hogs and following his cousin’s path to Fayetteville would be an honor, he said.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Holliman said. “I work hard because I want to play at the next level. An offer from Arkansas would make me work even harder so when I get there I would be bettered prepared and be ready to play.”
FAMILY LIKES UA
Arkansas and Ole Miss competed against each other on the field Saturday, and now they are competing for linebacker Rashawn Smith of Florence, Ala.
Smith, 6-3, 205, 4.5 seconds, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Minnesota, South Alabama and Tulane. He orally committed to the Rebels in September but is planning to officially visit Arkansas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
“I want to make sure I’m making the right decision,” said Smith, who has been selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game. “I’ve talked to my family and they like Arkansas. They like Arkansas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt a lot.”
Defensive tackles coach Kevin Peoples, who attended one of Smith’s games during Arkansas’ open date, is a big reason why Smith wants to visit the Hogs.
“He’s a real truthful guy,” Smith said. “A lot of times with coaches you can tell they’re saying the same thing that they’re saying to you and another person, telling you you’re the No. 1 player on the board and something like that.
“He’s not like that. He tells you exactly like it is and tells you everything that’s going on. He’s been keeping his word.”
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/30/2012