The Recruiting Guy

Grandma liked Arkansas plenty

Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman's ability to lure top linemen to Fayetteville continued with the addition of highly regarded Jalen Merrick.

Arkansas was hoping to impress highly recruited offensive lineman Jalin Barnett on his official visit over the weekend. The Hogs apparently did so, along with his grandmother, Charlotte Burse, who accompanied her grandson on the trip.

"I had a wonderful time," Burse said. "There's just so much family and love here. If he doesn't come here, there's something wrong."

Barnett, 6-4, 305 pounds, of Lawton, Okla. is a major target of the Hogs and is rated the No. 1 offensive guard in the nation by ESPN and the No. 43 overall prospect. Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman has filled the mail box at the Burse home.

"Coach Pittman wrote me so many letters before ... it was like I already knew him," she said.

Barnett and Lawton offensive coordinator Ryan Breeze visited Arkansas on June 13 and talked glowingly of the Hogs upon his return.

"When he came back, it was like, 'Granny, I just loved it,' " Burse said. "He talked about the way Arkansas was with the people. While he was talking, he had this smile on his face and a light in his eye. Jalin is a quiet kid, but when he does talk you know he's very excited. I could see it."

"He loves Arkansas, he told me that. It's really in his heart. Every time he talked, I felt like a gun shot -- boom, boom, boom! -- and that was that feeling I got."

Barnett also plans to officially visit Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Oregon, along with a possible fifth school. Burse said she was upset the Sooners, Cowboys and Ducks called Barnett during his Arkansas visit.

"I will apologize to Arkansas for the other teams that's recruiting him would not let us have our time this weekend alone because we got phone calls every day," Burse said. "To me that was disrespectful. OU, OSU and Oregon called. I finally had to tell my baby, 'If they call please do not answer that phone.' "

Burse also said she was impressed by the hospitality she encountered during the visit.

"These people here at Arkansas accepted me," she said. "I guess they thought they were going to come see a wrinkled old woman that didn't have no swag, but I have got five grandkids."

Prospects and their parents or guardians receive mileage reimbursement from the school when driving for an official visit. Burse used the money to purchase Razorbacks shirts.

"That mileage check they gave me, it's back at the school," Burse said. "I got all my t-shirts. I spent every dime plus some."

Almost ready

Arkansas also hosted another major target, linebacker Derrick Graham of Wauchula (Fla.) Hardee for an official visit and almost received a commitment.

Graham and his older brother, P.J., arrived in Fayetteville on Friday morning and later spent time at Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema's home.

"The coaches really showed a lot of love this weekend," Graham said. "The team showed a lot of love. I like that. When I first got down here, I talked to Coach B. He really showed me a good time down here. I can definitely see myself living here for the next four years."

He said he was tempted to commit to the Hogs while visiting with Bielema.

"It actually was," Graham said. "After we left Coach B's house, that was actually a big deal to me that he actually showed where he lived and brought us to his home ."

Graham, 6-4, 220, 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has more than 20 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Nebraska and South Florida.

He was hosted by two Arkansas freshman, fullback Tyler Colquitt on Friday and defensive end Anthony Brown on Saturday.

"They told me everything was real," said Graham, who also plans to visit Arkansas over the Thanksgiving weekend. "They told me all the coaches are genuine, they love the coaches. They're always there for you. The academic team is always going to be there for you. You don't have to worry about it. If you need help, you've got help. Just the atmosphere, the people here, it's all genuine. There's nothing fake about it."

Graham has plans to officially visit Mississippi State, Florida and Nebraska.

Happy birthday

Dumas tight end Will Gragg will celebrate his birthday today by announcing his college decision at 10 a.m. at the school gymnasium.

Gragg, 6-4, 247, 4.8, will decide between Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He said Thursday that Arkansas, Alabama and Ole Miss were leading for his services.

He's rated the No. 7 tight end and No. 214 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN.

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 09/23/2014