The Recruiting Guy

Noland says pledges remain positive

Greenwood quarterback Connor Noland (center) has helped lead the Bulldogs to the Class 6A championship game for the third consecutive season, taking on Pine Bluff tonight at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Bulldogs lost to Russellville in the title game last season and to Pine Bluff in 2015.

With the announced hiring of Houston Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek to the same position at Arkansas, the hiring of a new football coach in Fayetteville appears closer.

The Hogs' 10 commitments for the 2018 class are waiting to hear who will be the new head man. Quarterback pledge Connor Noland of Greenwood knows what he's looking for in a new coach and staff.

"The coaching style is a big pull for me," Noland said. "What kind of person are they? Coach [Bret] Bielema, obviously a lot of people talk about him and how great of a person he was. Obviously, I hold that very highly and that's a big deal on the list, too."

Noland, 6-4, 208 pounds led the Bulldogs to a 13-0 record and the Class 6A state championship, their first state title since 2012, by completing 20 of 27 passes for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 52-14 victory over Pine Bluff on Friday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

He hopes the new Razorbacks staff is similar to Greenwood Coach Rick Jones and his staff.

"I've seen determination and how they can ride you and get you motivated to do stuff and still be a player's coach," said Noland, who was named the MVP of the state title game. "That's definitely what I'm looking for. I think Coach Jones and the staff we have at Greenwood is a good example of a coaching style that is different, but effective."

Noland completed 225 of 323 passes for 2,801 yards and 34 touchdowns while throwing 6 interceptions this season. He also rushed 82 times for 239 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Jones, who has won seven state titles while at Greenwood, is more than just a coach, said Noland.

"He's kind of like a father figure to a lot of people," Noland said. "He'll chew your tail every once in a while and get on you, but at the end of the day he's still there for you and he's on your side."

Winning the state title was a dream come true for Noland, who also plans to pitch for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville baseball team.

"It's a big deal, and obviously for the seniors in my class to go out like that is a great way to do it," he said. "It's been five years since the last one. To get that under the belt is a great feeling."

Noland and linebacker commitment Bumper Pool have been leaders of the 2018 Razorbacks class. The two have conducted group chats with other pledges during the year. Despite not knowing who their coach will be, Noland said the commitments are optimistic.

"Everybody is excited," Noland said. "We're just waiting for something to happen. We're really not making moves until anything happens. It's a positive thing in the group chat, and everybody is excited for a new coach to come in and take over the reins."

Recruiting dates

Time is clicking away for Arkansas to hire a head football coach before the NCAA dead period for recruiting starts and the early signing period of Dec. 20-22 begins.

The dead period, which forbids college coaches from visiting prospects off campus and prospects from visiting schools, begins Dec. 18 and will last until Jan. 11.

The contact period will resume Jan. 12 and last until Feb. 3.

It appears unlikely Arkansas will have a coach in place to host recruits on official visits this weekend. The Dec. 15-17 weekend looks doable if a coach is hired fairly soon, and it will be the last opportunity to host prospects on visits until January.

While weekends are preferable, schools can host recruits during the weekdays during the contact period.

There are four weekends after the first of the year to host prospects for official visits: Jan. 12-14, Jan. 19-21, Jan. 26-28 and Feb. 2-4 before the Feb. 7 signing period.

Notre Dame visit

Pulaski Academy offensive lineman and Hogs commitment Luke Jones, 6-5, 290, plans to officially visit Notre Dame this weekend. He made an unofficial visit to South Bend on Oct. 21 for the Southern Cal game.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 12/05/2017