THE RECRUITING GUY

Dallas lineman likes what he sees in Razorbacks

Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman works with the Razorbacks during an April 6, 2013 practice at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas made a big impression on Jovan Pruitt during his two-day visit over the weekend.

“I loved it,” said Pruitt, who is considered a big-time offensive line prospect. “Everything about it. I just feel at home. All the players, the atmosphere’s great. I could see myself playing here.”

Pruitt, 6-6, 295 pounds, 5.2 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Dallas Bishop Dunne High School, reports 10 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Baylor. He was able to meet several of the Hogs’ freshmen during the visit.

“I felt comfortable being around them,” Pruitt said. “They said that everyone would look out for me and take care of me while I’m here. If I do what I need to do, everything will just fall into place.”

Pruitt and his high school coach, Michael Johnson, spent considerable time around Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

“Just really learning what he does to help make his players better, like he did at Tennessee,” Pruitt said. “They went from being one of the worst O-lines to being one of the best passing efficient O-lines in the SEC.”

Pruitt also said he was impressed by Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema’s ability to send offensive tackles to the NFL.

“I found out what type of coach I’m going to be under if I do come here,” Pruitt said. “So that’s pretty good just knowing that I can exceed others’ expectations and my expectations just by following their coaching strategies and just listening and being disciplined.”

Johnson, who has visited numerous schools, said he sees the Hogs returning to being a top team.

“They have a passion for where they see this program going,” he said. “I feel that this program is up on the rise. And it’s going to be one of the top teams in the SEC here in the future because they have a driven coach and a driven staff to get where they want to be.” ANOTHER BEQUETTE

A familiar player showed up at Arkansas’ high school camp - which began Sunday afternoon and will end this morning - and his play was noticed by the Hogs coaches.

Junior defensive lineman Luc Bequette is attending the camp and his UA legacy is lengthy. His father Chris Bequette was an offensive lineman for the Razorbacks from 1984-1987; his late grandfather George Bequette was a lineman from 1954-1956. His uncle Jay Bequette was an offensive lineman at Arkansas in 1980-1982, while his cousin Jake Bequette was a defensive end with the Hogs in 2007-2011 and is now with the New England Patriots.

“I definitely learned a lot,” Luc Bequette said of his early impressions of the camp. “It’s my first camp, so just the coaches gave me a lot of technique like twisting your hips and trying to get skinny through linemen. Use your speed over just raw strength.”

Bequette, 6-2, 250, of Champaign (Ill.) St Thomas, said he earned the praise of Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema for his play in 1-on-1 drills Monday morning. He picked up several tips from defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.

“Each drill, I learned something new and tried to put into the live stuff we do at the end of the sessions,” Bequette said.

He said no colleges have been showing interest in him, but his performance at the camp might aid his recruiting. SPEAKS SPEAKS

Defensive lineman Breeland Speaks received a scholarship offer from Arkansas after his play at the camp.

Speaks, 6-3, 270, 4.9, of Jackson (Miss.) Callaway already has scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida State, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Louisiana-Lafayette.

“I really like Arkansas,” he said. “From the time I got there to the time I left, I felt like I was taken care of. It was just a great experience in Hog country. They’ll definitely be in the mix. “

He said he learned some new techniques from defensive line coach Charlie Partridge. He said he’s now considering the Razorbacks for an official visit.

MORE AT CAMP

Sophomore tight end and defensive Jamario Bell, 6-6, 235, 4.7, of Junction City, said he thought about committing several times during Monday’s prospect camp but plans to hold off. He received a scholarship offer from the Hogs last week.

Bell said he and his mother enjoyed meeting Coach Bret Bielema in his office and were impressed about his emphasis on academics.

Arkansas defensive line commitment Bijhon Jackson, 6-2, 320, 5.1, of El Dorado, was steadily in the backfield during 7-on-7 drills at the camp. He sometimes met the running back as he was taking the handoff.

Star City sophomore defensive lineman Austin Capps, 6-4, 298, ran a 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash during testing Sunday. He was dominant at times during 1-on-1 drills and shows the ability to make one think he could be on national recruiting lists over the next couple of years.

The camp wraps up today at about 10:30 in the morning.

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports, Pages 21 on 06/11/2013