Junior college cornerback Kweishi Brown will take an official visit to Arkansas on July 19, but the thought of playing college football was far from his mind at one time.
“I had one good year in high school, which was my senior year, and didn’t get any looks,” said Brown, who completed high school in 2010. “After that I felt like I was done with football. I took two years off after I graduated.”
Brown, 6-0, 190 pounds, 4.5 seconds on the 40-yard dash, was encouraged by his family and high school coach to give football another try, and he enrolled at Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, Calif., where he recorded 28 tackles and seven interceptions last season.
His play has earned him scholarship offers from Arkansas and Kansas State, and he is also drawing interest from Colorado, Utah State, Washington and New Mexico.
”They all want me to come and take a visit,” said Brown, who was named first team All-Southern Conference in the Southern California Football Association. “I just felt like it was time.”
Brown said the Razorbacks’ aggressive approach to recruiting has him interested in Arkansas. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash visited his school twice during the spring evaluation period
“He tells me how much he loves me,” Brown said. “He can’t wait to get me to the new facility and is looking forward for all the coaches to meet me. They have been talking about me and how much they want me. That just topped it off.”
Brown said he believes his skill set is best suited for the SEC.
“I feel like I fit better in the SEC compared to the Pac-12 and Big 12,” he said. “The SEC is made for me, and everybody has been telling me that, too. I just have to take advantage of it.”
Brown said the college recruiting process has thrown a few surprises his way. Most notable has been the inconsistent contact from some schools after being told they would get back with him soon.
“May not hear from them for a couple of months,” Brown said.
Brown’s father is a probation officer, and Brown said he is considering studying criminal justice. He plans to take an official visit to Kansas State after his trip to Fayetteville, but he might be convinced to commit to the Hogs if things go well.
“I adapt to things real quick,” Brown said. “So if I can adapt to the people there and get to know everybody and everybody is welcoming, that would blow me away.”
OHIO CONNECTIONS
Arkansas has made a strong push to recruit Ohio under Coach Bret Bielema, and the Hogs are taking advantage of the connections of cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson and graduate assistant Nick Caley, who are from Cincinnati and Canton, Ohio, respectively.
The Razorbacks are making a push for junior safety Tyree Kinnel of Huber Heights Wayne High School. Kinnel, 6-0, 190, 4.47, has scholarship offers from Arkansas and Kentucky.
“It’s pretty high, especially after building a relationship with Coach Johnson,” Kinnel said of his interest in Arkansas. “I just have to get down there and see the campus and see how it is down there.”
He said he doesn’t have a firm date but said he plans to visit Fayetteville.
“Maybe later this summer, but if not I’ll definitely be down in the fall for a game,” Kinnel said.
He is also drawing interest from Michigan State, Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio State, all of which he’s visited.
Kinnel said one of the big reasons he’s interested in Arkansas is because it is a member of the SEC.
“The SEC is the best conference in college football,” said Kinnel, who has a 2.8 grade-point average and is considering business as his major. “It’s a big school. Coach Johnson gave me a lot of facts about the school, and it seems like a real cool school.”
Kinnel had more than 90 tackles last season and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score.
“I’m a very physical player,” he said. “I cover really well, too. I’m a vocal leader on the field.” E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports, Pages 20 on 06/28/2013