Arkansas ties run deep for Texas cornerback

Chevin Calloway

Highly recruited cornerback Chevin Calloway, who has strong Arkansas ties, made his first trip to Fayetteville for the spring game on Saturday and it appears a return trip is likely.

"I really liked the weight room, it was really nice," Calloway said. "The weight room, the indoor facility and the practice fields. One field was grass and the other was turf. I also liked the scenery, you can see the hills from the practice fields."

Calloway, 5-11, 185 pounds, 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Dallas Bishop Dunne, has more than 30 scholarship offers, including schools like Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU and UCLA.

Calloway was born in Pine Bluff but moved to Texas when he was 3 years old. He has numerous family members who still live in the state and are Razorbacks fans.

Three uncles accompanied him to the spring game and they didn't hide their feeling about where he should attend college.

"They loved it," Calloway said. "They were trying to get me to commit. They were like, 'Welcome home, man.' They said 'You can't go wrong here, they need some DBs too. There's a strong chance you could start.'"

Chein's grandfather, Charles Calloway Sr., of Pine Bluff, is a big Hog fan and someone that made a big impact on him.

"He's always been there for me when I was younger," Calloway said. "We always talked about football. I know he loves football and the Arkansas Razorbacks."

Calloway, who's ESPN's No. 4 cornerback and No. 27 overall prospect, liked what he saw and heard from defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads.

"I feel like he's going to change the DB program around," Calloway said. "I want to bring my parents up there next time, so they can check it out as well."

Should Calloway become a Razorback, he'll have at least one familiar face -- sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III.

"I've known Rawleigh since I was young," said Calloway, who was coach by Williams' father in youth football.

Williams suffered a neck injury in the Hogs' 54-46 four-overtime victory over Auburn that required surgery. Even though several doctors cleared him for full contact, Coach Bret Bielema withheld him from contact during the spring.

The way the Hogs handled Williams' injury impressed Calloway.

"When people get injured a lot of coaches will kick them to the side and move on," Calloway said. "These coaches actually care for the players and try and help them and get back on the road and care about their rehab."

Calloway, who noted Arkansas would likely be in his top 10 when he releases the list, said the visit was a plus for the Hogs.

"It definitely opened my eyes about them for sure," Calloway said.

COMMITMENT VALIDATED

Receiver Maleek Barkley committed to Arkansas on April 3 without the benefit of a visit. He was able to visit for the spring game on Saturday and was pleased with his decision.

"I did not expect that at all," Barkley said. "It all blew me away with all I saw and where I'll be playing fairly soon."

Barkley, 6-0, 186, 4.45 in the 40-yard dash, of Austin (Texas) Lake Travis, picked the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Illinois, Nevada-Las Vegas and Texas State.

He enjoyed getting to meet Coach Bret Bielema.

"He's really a great man to talk to, he's really cool," Barley said.

Barkley recorded 64 carries for 617 yards and 10 touchdowns and 55 receptions for 693 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior at Lake Travis. He had planned to play his senior season at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, but has opted to stay in Texas.

Barkley said he spent time around the team, and he called the atmosphere a "brotherhood".

"Everybody got along," he said. "They just seem like they're clicking together no matter what happens."

LAID-BACK FEELING

Arkansas made a strong impression on defensive end Dennis Collins, who came to Fayetteville for the spring game.

Collins said the visit helped the Hogs' chances of landing him.

"I have to get back down there for a camp," he said. "The coaching staff, I love the coaching staff. They're just laid back. It's a laid-back place."

Collins, 6-2, 250, 4.88 seconds in the 40-yard dash, plays for West Monroe High School in Louisiana and has scholarship offers from Arkansas, TCU, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others.

One thing that surprised Collins was hearing reggae music when he walked in to Coach Bret Bielema's office.

"The head coach is real laid back," Collins said. "It shocked me."

Bielema talked to Collins about Arkansas' player development.

"He told me I could come in and they could help train my body and become a way better player," Collins said.

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 04/26/2016