The Recruiting Guy

Texas recruit draws inspiration from former Hog

University of Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles presents Dean Tolson with a framed jersey during halftime of the Arkansas-Mississippi State game Saturday, March 1, 2003, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Junior athlete Byron Hanspard Jr., an Arkansas football target, said he gets inspiration from a former Razorbacks basketball great Dean Tolson.

Tolson was a fifth-round draft pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in 1974 after finishing his three-year career at Arkansas with 1,316 points and 845 rebounds. After three years with Seattle, he played several years overseas until being urged by his mother to get his degree.

He called then-Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who arranged for the school to pay for his tuition. Tolson went on to earn a degree in history in 1988 and a Masters in education, graduating magna cum laude in 2007. His graduation from Arkansas in 1988 was a featured story in Sports Illustrated.

Tolson, an All-Southwest Conference forward in 1973-1974, still owns Arkansas' top two rebounding seasons, grabbing an average of 13.2 per game in 1973-1974 and 12.4 in 1972-1973. He also averaged 9.9 per game in 1971-1972, which is third on the Arkansas list.

Tolson is now a motivational speaker who shares his life story and the importance of an education and reaching for your goals. Hanspard said he has followed Tolson on Twitter.

"A lot of the things he posts are very inspirational and I just retweet him," Hanspard said.

Hanspard, 6-1, 188, 4.44 of Desoto, Texas, has 11 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Colorado, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and Northwestern. He was in the top 10 percent of his class last year and carries a 3.88 grade point average.

He said he admires Tolson's outlook on life.

"Just looking at the type of things he posts," Hanspard said. "Everything he posts has a meaning to it. Just life in general, not anything specific. Being positive. Just reading the type of things he posts shows he's a great guy and a great leader."

Hanspard, whose father rushed for more than 4,100 yards in three season at Texas Tech and won the Doak Walker Award in 1996, made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville for the Hogs' 31-10 victory over Florida on Nov. 5. He almost committed to the Razorbacks during the visit, but he made the trip without his parents and his mother told him to hold off.

Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves is Hanspard's lead recruiter at Arkanas. He visited DeSoto during the January contact period.

"He [Hargreaves] is telling me I need to come up there and get my parents more involved and come and experience more of Arkansas," Hanspard said.

Another trip to Fayetteville will happen, Hanspard said.

"I most definitely plan on coming back up there again and having a more in-depth visit," Hanspard said. "They're most definitely one of my top choices."

He said his top schools are, in no specific order, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, LSU and Baylor.

Hanspard, who could play receiver or defensive back in college, recorded 40 tackles, 3 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble as a junior while helping the Eagles to a 16-0 record and the Class 6A Division II State title.

He said he plans to check out Arkansas' physical therapy and track and field programs on his next visit.

"I want to look more into the track program as well because after football season, I would like to go and continue my track career," said Hanspard, who has a best effort of 6 feet, 8 inches in the high jump.

Hanspard is active in his church and enjoys music and singing. He sang and competed in the Texas Music Educators Association, an organization that's dedicated to promoting excellence in music education.

"I grew up on music since birth," he said. "I listened not just to the new music, but old music, a lot of gospel and inspirational things that actually mean something. Being involved with music is just a way of expressing yourself. Just getting out of the way sometimes and just getting in your own zone."

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 02/14/2017