The Recruiting Guy

Junior college lineman big on Arkansas' offense

Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman on the sideline during the Razorbacks' Aug. 31, 2013 game against Louisiana-Lafayette at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman recently extended a scholarship offer to highly regarded junior college offensive lineman Dwayne Wallace, who has orally committed to Louisville.

Wallace, 6-5, 340 pounds, 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash, plays for Riverside Community College in California and already has scholarship offers from Louisville, Texas Tech and San Diego State. He is also drawing interest from Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona State, Washington and TCU.

"I really, really like the O-line coach," Wallace said. "We're talking a lot, and I think Arkansas is a great place and a great football team."

He sees himself as a good fit for Arkansas.

"Their O-line is kind of big and beefy, and that's the kind of player I am," Wallace said. "Some people say I'm too big, but I'm a perfect size for their program."

The Razorbacks will lose senior guard Sebastian Tretola to graduation and junior offensive tackle Denver Kirkland could leave early to enter the NFL Draft.

"I feel like I could step in and make an impact, and I think that's why Coach P. and the rest of the staff like me," Wallace said.

Wallace, who officially visited Louisville in May, has a 355-pound bench press and a 500-pound squat. He said he plans to visit Fayetteville.

"I'm making an official visit probably in the season, probably try and make like a rivalry game," Wallace said. "I'm probably going to check Oklahoma out. I haven't really thought about all the schools I'm trying to see yet. It's early in the recruiting process."

Wallace has dropped 10 pounds and credits Riverside Coach Tom Craft, who coached San Diego State from 2002-2005, for making him a better player.

"He runs our program like a Division I program, which really prepares us for the next level," Wallace said.

Wallace played guard in high school and as a freshman but will play tackle this season.

"I'm going to play tackle this year to show Coach Pittman and other schools I can play tackle," Wallace said. "I definitely think I have quick enough feet and the athleticism to play tackle."

Wallace noted that Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and Pittman have sent a combined 26 offensive linemen to the NFL.

"They must be doing something right if they're having that much success on the offensive line and people getting drafted," Wallace said. "That just speaks for itself."

UA WOMEN IMPRESS

Arkansas' women's basketball team received its first oral commitment Monday night for the 2018 class.

Highly regard guard Mya Bhinhar, 5-9, of Owasso, Okla., chose Arkansas over offers from Missouri and Tulsa. She also is drawing interest from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Nebraska and others.

She visited Fayetteville a couple weeks ago and received a scholarship offer.

"I really love Coach [Jimmy] Dykes," Bhinhar said. "When I went there he was all about a person's character and the type of person they are outside of basketball."

Dykes' desire to make Bhinhar the best she can be helped win her over.

"He asked me if I wanted to be great," she said. "He talked about being great at basketball and being a great person, and I'm all about that. I want to go somewhere I can become a great person in life and it prepares me and molds me to be the person I want to be and not just in basketball."

Arkansas' practice facility is expected to be completed soon and was another draw.

"It just blew me away," said Bhinhar, who averaged 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 2.9 assists and 1.8 blocks as a freshman this past season. "At Arkansas, it seems like they do things right. It was just super nice."

One of the new features of Arkansas' practice facility is the ability to video practice and instantly show players the good or the bad.

"He said he could stop practice and we would come over and he would show us," Bhinhar said. "I like that because it shows you right there what you did wrong."

Bhinhar also excels in the classroom. She takes all honors classes and has a 3.93 grade-point average.

She was impressed with Dykes' coaching staff.

"They all seem like they're on the same page," Bhinhar said. "They're all shooting for the same goal, and I'm all about that. They want to push you to be great. They're not settling for anything less."

E-mail Richard Davenport at

rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 07/19/2015