Arkansas didn't have to wait long to see if defensive end T.J. Smith of Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County would flip his commitment from Vanderbilt to the Razorbacks.
Smith arrived Wednesday afternoon with his mother, Avis, for his official visit to Fayetteville and announced his commitment to Arkansas through Twitter on Thursday evening during the visit.
He cited Arkansas' academics and the advantages of attending the Sam M. Walton College of Business among his reasons for choosing Arkansas.
"This is a growing program and we have a chance to do a lot of big things, and I want to be a part of it and I want to be a difference maker while being a part of it," Smith said.
Smith, 6-3, 260 pounds, 4.89 in the 40-yard dash, recorded 48 tackles, 4 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries and 1 forced fumble this past season. He also had scholarship offers from North Carolina, Missouri, Wake Forest, Central Florida and others.
"I just really love this place," Smith said. "I love the campus, I love the facilities, but most importantly I love the education and the people. There's great people in Fayetteville, and I look forward to spending the next four or five years of my life dealing with those great people."
While recruiting North Carolina last spring, Arkansas running backs coach Joel Thomas discovered Smith at New London North Stanly High School before moving to Georgia.
"I'm glad he found me," Smith said.
Defensive line coach Rory Segrest recruits Georgia and was heavily involved in recruiting Smith, who had high praise for his future position coach.
"Coach Segrest is a great father figure and a great teacher to me," Smith said. "He's a solid guy. What you see is what you get, and I look forward to spending the next four or five years with him from a personal standpoint and a football standpoint."
Smith took an official visit to Vanderbilt on Jan. 16 and had plans to leave Fayetteville and take a trip to Wake Forest before making a visit to Missouri on Jan. 30. He said he isn't taking any more visits.
"I'm done," Smith said. "No more visits, no more in-homes, no more calls, no more Twitter, no more nothing. I'm done. I'm closing shop."
DALTON FINDS FIT
Highly regarded cornerback Nate Dalton of Houston Cypress Falls pretty much knew he wanted to be a Razorback during his official visit to Fayetteville last weekend, and he announced his commitment Thursday.
"I thought it would be a great fit for me," Dalton said. "I got along with the coaching staff and with the players, and I also loved the community. When I was down there I felt like it was a another place to call home."
Dalton, 6-3, 195, 4.5, chose Arkansas over scholarship offers from Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Utah, Kentucky, SMU, Washington State and others.
Defensive backs coach Clay Jennings was his lead recruiter and a big reason he chose Arkansas.
"Coach Jennings is just himself," Dalton said. "He loves coaching guys and developing young men to be something special in life and also in getting to the next level."
Dalton said knowing he could sit down and talk with Jennings during difficult times added to his comfort level.
"I wanted more of a father figure than a coach, and that's what he brought to the table," Dalton said. "Most coaches don't do that. They're all about business."
Dalton said Coach Bret Bielema and the family atmosphere within the football program also factored into his decision.
"He's an unselfish coach," Dalton said. "He's not just in it for the business or money or fame or whatever you want to call it, he's just himself. That's what I want to be around."
RB OFFERED
Arkansas jumped into the mix for highly touted junior running back D'Vaughn Pennamon of Manvel, Texas, after extending a scholarship offer Tuesday.
"I was really excited about it," Pennamon said. "I really wanted the offer. I like Arkansas and the offense they run."
Pennamon, 5-11, 200, 4.46, also has scholarship offers from Colorado, Louisville, Colorado State, SMU and Washington State. He rushed 62 times for 661 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Mavericks finished 13-2 last season.
"I like how they unitize the running back," Pennamon said.
Arkansas running backs coach Joel Thomas visited the school Tuesday to check on Pennamon, as well as junior linebacker Jordan Carmouche and junior cornerback Deontay Anderson, who also have offers from Arkansas.
Pennamon called Thomas later in the day and learned of his offer,
"He said, 'I told you I wanted to coach you, and I did my job and now it's up to you,' " Pennamon said.
Pennamon has been timed at 10.60 seconds while running a leg on the 4x100 relay and recorded leaps of 23 feet in the long jump and 45-7 in the triple jump. He said he's a fan of Thomas and his coaching.
"I like his eagerness and confidence in helping me and giving me pointers if I was doing something wrong," Pennamon said.
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 01/25/2015