Arkansas was the first school to show interest and the first to extend a scholarship offer to highly regarded Hope defensive end McTelvin Agim.
Early Monday morning, the Hogs were also the first to reach out to him by direct message on Twitter.
Sept. 1 was the the first day colleges could contact juniors on Twitter, Facebook or by e-mail. Coach Bret Bielema was the first coach to message Agim on Twitter followed by tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr and defensive line coach Rory Segrest.
“It was nice because I already liked Arkansas,” Agim said. They’re getting all of the top recruits in Arkansas. Then they were the first school to offer me, then coming to me with all three coaches. First coach Bieliema then coach Lunney and then coach Segrest right behind.”
Agim, 6-3, 258, 4.68, has 10 scholarship offers from schools like Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Stanford, Ole Miss, Clemson, Oklahoma and others. He’s arguably the best defensive prospect to come out of the state in years.
“I saw the game against Auburn and that showed me they’re heading in the right direction and they just need a couple more pieces,” Agim said. “If a couple of different things would’ve happen, I think it would’ve been a different outcome. It just showed me Arkansas is on the rise.”
Bielema let him know how much he was wanted in Fayetteville.
“He was showing how important I was in trying to get me down there,” Agim said. “He really did with him being the first. Yesterday (Sunday) I was wondering who was going to be the first. Then it showed, Arkansas was the first. I’m liking Arkansas for that a lot more now.”
He recorded 77 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 16 sacks this past season and was named the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sophomore Defensive Player of the Year.
An hour after the Hogs, Mississippi State made contact with Agim. Stanford, Ole Miss, Baylor, Auburn also reached out to him.
“Arkansas was ahead of everybody by a big margin,” said Agim, who’s rated a 4-star plus prospect by CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “It just shows me they were up until 12 o’clock just waiting until it was legal talk to me. They put their sleep on hold, put their families on hold just to make sure I was feeling the love from them and I’m feeling it.”