BEAVERTON, Ore. -- ESPN's top-rated safety prospect in the nation is planning to visit Arkansas in the near future.
Brandon Jones, 6-0, 195 pounds, 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Nacogdoches, Texas, has more than 40 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Oklahoma, Baylor and others.
His lead recruiter at Arkansas, defensive backs coach Clay Jennings, has kept Jones interested in the Hogs.
"He's actually really good friends with our defensive coordinator. So he's always coming down and DMing me on Twitter, so we talk a lot," Jones said. "He told me he's real familiar with a lot of east Texas places, so we kind of get along in that extent."
Jones shined at The Opening, the premier summer event for high school prospects that was held last week at Nike Headquarters.
Jones, who is also rated the No. 27 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN, said he plans to visit Fayetteville in July or August.
"The coaches always tell me that once you get up there you'll fall in love," Jones said. "So I'm really looking forward to getting out there. I've never been to Arkansas, so it's going to be a new experience, but I feel like it should be a good one."
Jones also said he hopes to find a college surrounding similar to his hometown.
"I'm really big on environment something that's kind of like Nacogdoches," he said. "I would love to stay in Texas so my parents and brothers can come see me play, but I'm going to be the one there by myself for the four years, so I kind of want to do what's best for me."
Jones has about eight schools that are vying for spots in his top five or six that he plans to announce fairly soon. He said Texas would make the cut, while Texas A&M is probable.
The Razorbacks are on the bubble, but that could change after his trip to Fayetteville.
"They're one of the teams that I can't decide if I want to put in there," Jones said. "I'll have my five or six at least by the end of the summer, and I'm kind of waiting to visit Arkansas to see for myself how it is."
A couple of things working in Arkansas' favor are his school's defensive scheme is similar to the Hogs' and the chance of early playing is also available.
"They're recruiting me as a free safety and they've talked about a lot of playing time my freshman year, so I keep that in mind," Jones said. "If I did end up there, I feel like it would be a good fit for me because it's SEC defense and they have shut down some really good teams last year."
Arkie family
Ties to the state of Arkansas may help the Razorbacks get a visit from one of the top defensive tackles in the nation.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, 6-4, 330, of Wake Forest, N.C., has 36 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan.
His father is from Pine Bluff and attended Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and several family members still live in the state.
Lawrence is rated the No. 6 defensive tackle and No. 17 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN. He communicates with Arkansas on Twitter on a regular basis.
"I talked to my mother earlier in the recruiting process and I said we should take a visit down there," Lawrence said. "So it's a possibility."
His family in Arkansas is urging him to visit the Hogs.
"They just said come see how it is," Lawrence said.
His father is staying neutral in the recruiting process.
"He just said go wherever you feel like is home or best suits your style of play and you feel comfortable," said Lawrence, who said he's not making a decision on a school anytime soon.
And basketball ...
Arkansas men's basketball Coach Mike Anderson extended scholarship offers to three in-state players after watching them play at Nike EYBL Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga., over the weekend.
Forward Eric Curry, 6-8, 195, of Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock, has performed well while playing for the 17-under Arkansas Wings Elite and was rewarded with the offer from the Razorbacks on Monday.
He averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for Southwest Christian last season. He has 10 other offers, including ones from Minnesota, Oklahoma State, St. Louis, SMU and Virginia Commonwealth.
Junior forward Daniel Gafford, 6-10, 201, of El Dorado played for the 16-under Arkansas Wings over the weekend and also received an offer from Arkansas on Monday.
He averaged 13.4 points, 14.4 rebounds and 6.2 block shots per game for the Wildcats last season.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 07/14/2015