Arkansas had an impressive list of junior prospects on campus for the Florida game and one of them almost left as a Razorback.
Junior receiver Byron Hanspard Jr., 6-1, 188, 4.44 of Desoto, Texas has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Colorado and Texas Tech, where his father won the Doak Walker Award in 1996.
After touring the Hogs’ facilities and experiencing the atmosphere of Arkansas’ 31-10 victory over the Gators, he thought about committing to the Hogs.
“It definitely crossed my mind,” Hanspard said. “My mom sent me a message and said make sure you don’t sign any papers or verbally commit. We were texting back and forth non-stop and I was like ‘Mom they have this, they have that’”.
It was Hanspard's first visit to a school for game day.
“It was a wonderful experience,” he said. “I definitely want to come back and bring my parents and let them see what I’m looking at and see how I feel about Arkansas. It was a phenomenal visit.”
Prior to the game, he met and talked with Arkansas’ recruiting staff.
“They were very kind and very respectful,” Hanspard said. “They were very encouraging, so it’s always good to have those type of people in your life and in your corner.”
Hanspard made the trip with teammate and junior running back Kelan Walker.
“We’re trying to go to the same college,” Hanspard said. “We were both very impressed.”
He has a 3.88 grade point average and is looking to study Kinesiology.
“I was in the top ten percent of my class last year,” Hanspard said.
Music has been a big part of Hanspard's life.
“I was raised in the church, so signing and playing instruments is a big part of who I am,” he said. “My Christianity is very, very huge for me and my family. We live by and obey by the Bible.”
He competes in the Texas Music Educators Association, an organization of more than 12,000 music educators that are dedicated to promoting excellence in music education.
“I’m in the middle of competing for an All State event,” Hanspard said. “I was ranked four in the district for Bass II and ranked number four in the region for Bass II. The competition is still going on.”
The mild-mannered and likable Hanspard said his parents and grandparents raised him with strong values.
“They all have instilled great things in me,” he said. “Go out and be positive, always have a positive mindset and speak positive things.”