The Recruiting Guy

Academic center 1 of the highlights of forward's visit

Jared Ridder

The new Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Center continues to impress recruits. Junior forward Jared Ridder is the latest to rave about the new facility.

Ridder, 6-7, 195 pounds, of Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville two weeks ago and revealed what impressed him.

“Probably all the resources they have with all of the rooms and how many computers they had in the computer rooms,” said Ridder, who has a 3.5 grade point average. “Everything there is useful for the student that goes to Arkansas. I just really liked it. Everybody was talking about how nice it was I didn't realize they had that many resources there and how big it was.”

Director of operations Matt Zimmerman showed Ridder Senior Walk which features more than 120,000 graduates and their names engraved into the sidewalks around campus.

“That was awesome,” said Ridder said. “It’s surprising they can get everyones’s name on there that’s graduated.”

He has other scholarship offers from schools like Oklahoma State, DePaul, Stetson, Missouri State, Lehigh and others. He averaged 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the three-point line as a junior while leading the Chiefs to a 29-3 record.

“They would like to use my size and ability to shoot the ball and really stretch the floor,” said Ridder of the Hogs.

Ridder, who made a short visit to Arkansas in early April, said he’s high on the Razorbacks after the visit.

“I really liked it so they’re still in the top of my list and I’m still getting new interest, so I’m not really cutting anyone out yet,” Ridder said.

He’s not sure when the next scholarship offer will come.

“Not really, I’ve had some schools say they’re really interested like Florida and Mizzou is still talking to me and Iowa State,” he said. “Their head coach asked how fast I’ll go with recruiting.”

Oklahoma State offered him on April 30, but he didn’t see that one coming.

“The Oklahoma State offer came out of the blue,” Ridder said. “I haven’t really been talking to them. They just called and offered me and said they liked my game and saw me play. I was talking to them like two weeks before and they just offered.”