The Recruiting Guy

Hogs' facilities impress analyst

The entrance to the Basketball Performance Center Monday, October 12, 2015 on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Sports business analyst Kristi Dosh previously visited 11 SEC schools before making her way to Arkansas for the Ole Miss football game weekend Oct. 14-16 to be a part of the Women's Speaker Series.

Dosh was able to tour the athletic facilities during her first trip to Fayetteville. As a contributor to Forbes magazine, she recently wrote a very favorable review.

"I expected SEC caliber facilities, but I didn't expect to be so impressed," Dosh said in the Forbes article.

She was joined by her husband and sports writer, Chadd Scott. Reynolds Razorback Stadium impressed, but after seeing the expansion plans with Athletic Director Jeff Long, she's looking to make a return visit.

"There's really nothing wrong with it now, but I'm really excited by everything we were shown as far as what that north end zone is going to look like when it's done," Dosh said. "I think it's going to be fantastic. We made him promise we would be invited back to see it when it's done."

Dosh liked what she saw of the Smith Center.

"The football performance center was also incredibly nice," Dosh said. "The weight room is really different than any weight room I've ever seen. I've never been in a weight room that was that long."

When the basketball performance center opened in the fall of 2015, Arkansas became the last member of the SEC to have such a facility.

"The new basketball performance center is as nice as any of the ones I've seen," Dosh said.

While she raved about the performance center, 22-year-old Walton Arena did not get such reviews.

"I would say basketball at Arkansas maybe needs a few things done, and they acknowledged that while I was there," Dosh said.

Dosh, who grew up in Atlanta and attended Georgia football games, attended law school at Florida. Arkansas' 52,000-square-foot indoor baseball facility featuring a full field was unique to her.

"I've never seen that anywhere," Dosh said.

Baum Stadium, with a seating capacity of more than 10,000, was another facility that caught Dosh's eye.

"That was a gorgeous stadium, and somebody argued with me on Twitter today and they think it's the best baseball facility in the country," she said. "I don't know if I'm ready to go there, but it's up there."

Dosh grew up playing softball and pays close attention to such facilities during tours.

"Not only is the softball stadium incredibly nice, but they have the indoor batting cages which generally if we see indoor batting cages, baseball and softball are sharing them and they told me not only were they dedicated to softball cages, but softball actually had indoor before baseball had indoor," Dosh said.

The Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center was another gem.

"You don't see that at a lot of schools," she said. "The only other school that I've been at that had a dedicated indoor track facility is Texas A&M."

Recruits and parents have raved about the Jerry and Gene Jones student-athlete success center, and Dosh was no different.

"That was one of the best I've seen in the country," Dosh said.

Dosh said the quality of tutoring Arkansas athletes receive is a step above most others.

"They aren't using like graduate assistants as tutors; they're using professors and teachers," she said. "To me, they're using a higher caliber of staff in that center than what I've seen in most places."

On Friday, Coach Bret Bielema announced the team had the highest cumulative grade-point average on record at Arkansas. Dosh met with Bielema the day before the Ole Miss game.

"He was someone I only knew through media reports, Twitter and ... I didn't necessarily have the same view of him before that I have now," she said. "We got home, and he actually sent us a handwritten letter."

She's been to about three dozen schools.

"I have never one time at any of those schools ever had the head football coach sit down and spend time with me, not once," Dosh said. "I've never asked for it, but no one has ever offered it."

Dosh said Arkansas rolled out the red carpet for her visit.

"I've never felt so welcomed somewhere," she said. "No one has treated us bad, but I've never felt so welcomed."

After experiencing the hospitality and seeing Arkansas' facilities, Dosh believes the Razorbacks have a lot to offer.

"I feel like if they get recruits on campus and they treat them like they treated me, I bet they're going to have a lot of success getting guys to come there," she said.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 12/25/2016