Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and offensive line coach Sam Pittman added to their track record of landing highly sought offensive linemen Friday when Frank Ragnow announced his intentions to sign with the Razorbacks.
Ragnow, who played at Victoria (Minn.) Chanhassen, had narrowed his list of more than 20 scholarship offers to Arkansas, Florida State and Minnesota. He took an unofficial visit to Arkansas last summer and officially visited the school Nov. 2 for the Auburn game.
Ragnow, 6-6, 291 pounds, 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash, thanked the estimated 400 students and faculty in the school’s auditorium for their support leading up to his announcement.
“I just can’t believe how many people are here today,” Ragnow said. “It’s the most humbling thing in the world, and I thank you guys for supporting me this whole time. I have had nothing but positive support from all the community.”
He also expressed appreciation for the head coaches of all three of his finalists.
“There really wasn’t a bad choice,” Ragnow said. “All three of these schools,it was my dream come true to play Division I football, and they are giving me the chance to do that for free. I don’t even know how to describe the feeling.”
Ragnow is a rated a four-star prospect by CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, who has 35 years of experience covering national recruiting.
“This guy is a demon at run blocking,” Lemming said. “He shows outstanding balance, rangy with long arms. He can shuffle, slide and mirror. Frank never lets up and plays hard until the whistle and is athletic enough to effectively block out on the next level.”
Pittman, who was the Razorbacks’ lead recruiter on Ragnow, also signed three four-star offensive linemen - Denver Kirkland of Miami Washington, Reeve Koehler of St. Louis High School in Honolulu and Dan Skipper of Arvada (Colo.) Ralston Valley - in the 2013 class.
Arkansas also has oral commitments from fourstar offensive tackle Brian Wallace Jr. and three-star plus offensive tackle Jovan Pruitt.
Arkansas has oral commitments from 18 athletes. Two junior college players have signed, and three high school players signed Institutional Financial Aid Agreements and have enrolled already.
Oral commitments are nonbinding.
Sports, Pages 21 on 02/01/2014