Highly recruited tight end Jacob Mathis of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep likes what he is hearing from Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and defensive coordinator Robb Smith and is looking to visit Fayetteville.
Mathis, 6-5, 227 pounds, 4.63 in the 40-yard dash, has more than 30 scholarship offers from schools that include Arkansas, Florida, Miami, Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. ESPN rates him the No. 1 tight end/H-back and the No. 173 overall prospect in the nation.
Bielema's utilization of the tight end impresses Mathis.
"They target them a lot and they open up the field for quite a few things," Mathis said. "Their tight ends are really effective in catching the ball. They caught the ball well. They utilize the tight end in a pro-style offense."
Since becoming a head coach, Bielema has had four tight ends drafted by NFL teams.
"He told me quite a bit of stats about that and I also saw a couple of Arkansas games last year, so I kind of already had some previous background," Mathis said.
Mathis' interest in the Razorbacks seems to be increasing following his discussions with Bielema and Smith.
"They're on an even playing field with everybody else right now," Mathis said. "I'm starting to learn more about the school and talking to the coaches pretty consistently, and I've got a good feel for the coaching staff."
Mathis had 55 receptions for 874 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior after recording 22 catches for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns as a sophomore. It appears he'll check out the Hogs in the near future.
"Probably sometime over the summer," Mathis said.
He has a 3.1 grade-point average and is interested in studying broadcast journalism so he can talk about the sport he loves after his playing days are over.
"I got interested into it mainly because I'm watching sports all the time and sometimes disagreeing with what they say on TV," Mathis said. "It kind of makes me want to be able to converse with them. Also I want to stay involved in sports. If it's not broadcasting, I want to be coaching even in high school or something like that."
Mathis also has a fondness for clay shooting.
"My friend and his dad usually go shoot clays quite often so he took me out one morning," Mathis said. "We shot clays for a few hours, and I picked it up and I was pretty good at it."
A TOUGH SELL
Arkansas isn't among the top five schools running back Carlin Fils-Amie is considering, but the Hogs are still working hard to get into the running for one of Florida's top prospects.
Fils-Amie, 5-11, 180, 4.42, plays for Naples High School and has scholarship offers from 16 schools, including Arkansas. He lists Georgia, Miami, Auburn, Tennessee and Michigan as his favorites. ESPN rates him the No. 12 running back and No. 158 overall prospect in the nation.
Arkansas running backs coach Jemal Singleton attended Naples' spring game May 22.
"We spoke about life and what Arkansas has," Fils-Amie said. "He asked me if I was interested in Arkansas, and I told him I was interested."
Fils-Amie had 26 carries for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending ankle injuring in third game of his junior season. That followed a sophomore season in which he rushed 92 times for 873 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Singleton will have to educate Fils-Amie about the Razorbacks program
"Honestly, I really don't know much about Arkansas because I rarely watch football and sports," Fils-Amie said. "I just play the game."
Fils-Amie has learned about Arkansas running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, both of whom rushed for 1,000 yards last year, and that ESPN named Arkansas "Running Back U" for the 2000s.
"That's pretty cool," Fils-Amie said of ESPN's ranking. "I didn't know that."
He hopes to attend law school and eventually become a defense attorney
"My aunt is a lawyer for Naples and that got me into it," Fils-Amie said. "I used to shadow her and go do what she does when she's on a case, and that got me interested."
Fils-Amie isn't sure what it will take for him to visit Fayetteville.
"Quite a few schools ask me and I give them the same answer," he said. "I honestly do not know."
E-mail Richard Davenport at
rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 05/31/2015