The Recruiting Guy

Academics and football much the same for Higdon

Running back Karan Higdon.

Highly touted running back Karan Higdon, who plans to officially visit Arkansas, is just as good in the classroom as he is on the field.

Higdon, 5-9, 190, 4.46 seconds in the 40 yard dash, of Sarasota, (Fla.) Riverview has a 4.0 grade point average while taking part in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, an intense curriculum for high school juniors and seniors.

He sees academics and football going hand-in-hand.

“I feel like if you can't get it done in the classroom, you can't get it done on the field,” Higdon said. “The classroom is the number one asset to being an all around football player. You can be good on the field and stuff, but some of things that apply the classroom apply on the field.”

“You have to be able to learn and you have to be able to pay attention. You have to be able to do your homework as far as watching film and learning different schemes and learning different concepts.”

The South Florida commitment rushed 108 times for 967 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior despite sitting out two games because of a sprained ankle and missing another because of cancellation.

Higdon plans to officially visit Iowa on Sept. 13 and is also looking to visit Kentucky and South Florida. He and running backs coach Joel Thomas are working on a date for his Fayetteville visit.

The community of a school is important to Higdon.

“Clearly, wherever I go to college, it’s going to be a place I’ll have to be living for awhile,” Higdon said. “I want to go to a place where I can at least have the option to say hey, I want to stay here the rest of my life, not just a place I want to go for four years.”

He has high goals for his senior season.

“I plan on having a season no one will ever forget,” he said. “That’s my goal this season and I’m pretty sure I’ll make that happen.”