The Recruiting Guy

Texas linebacker sees the big picture

Alston Orji

Arkansas and numerous other schools have offered scholarships to junior linebacker Alston Orji.

Orji, 6-2, 220, 4.7, of Rockwall, Texas, has offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Nebraska, TCU and others. Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema likes to recruit uncommon young men and Orji fits that mold.

"You don't come across kids with his combination of athleticism, physical prowess and a good head on his shoulders," Rockwall Coach Rodney Webb said. "Academically, he's very strong. Sometimes kids are book smart, but not very common-sense smart and they're not very engaging personality wise. He has a good combination of all of that."

In five games this season, Orji has 24 tackles and a pass breakup. ESPN rates him the No. 8 outside linebacker and No. 207 overall prospect in the nation for the 2018 class.

During spring testing, Orji recorded a team best vertical jump of 38 inches. He also has a 295-pound bench press, a 455-pound squat and a 280-pound power clean.

"He's learning to be a good football player," Webb said. "He's an athletic freak and he's got all of the tools to be great and will be great."

Orji, whose mother is a doctor and father is a computer engineer, plans to major in business. Webb said kids often pay lip service to the importance of academics. But with Orji, he said, it's real.

"Wherever he ends up going, it's going to be more about the fit academically than the fit athletically," said Webb, whose daughter is a freshman at Arkansas. "They see the bigger picture."

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 09/27/2016