FAYETTEVILLE — Once of the state of Arkansas’ best junior football prospects now has an SEC offer.
Earle quarterback Gerry Bohanon (6-4, 215 pounds) - who attended a Razorbacks camp last summer and is a three-year starter already - was offered as an athlete by Alabama on Monday.
Bohanon passed for 2,734 yards and rushed for over 1,000 this past season while leading his team to a 9-4 record that included two playoff wins.
“My coach called and woke me up this morning to let me know that Alabama had offered,” Bohanon said. “I was both shocked and excited about it. I feel very honored to get the offer.
“My recruiting coach with Alabama - Coach (Billy) Napier - had called my high school coach to let him know.”
Earle head coach Albert Coleman says it was a big day for those in Earle.
“I am just in shock,” Coleman said. “I, in no way, was expecting this. I think that now that a big offer has come in that they are going to start flooding in. All his hard work is paying off.
“This is a big day for Gerry, for our program, for our town. We are all just so proud of him.”
Bohanon now has three offers. Arkansas State and Memphis had already offered. He thinks Arkansas, Purdue and Iowa State could all be offering down the line.
“I talked to (Razorbacks assistant) Coach (Barry) Lunney a lot," Bohanon said. “That’s my guy and he has been showing me interest since I was young.
“I would be equally surprised, shocked and honored if Arkansas offered me as well. I love those guys and I do hope it comes.”
Coleman, who said Notre Dame has shown interest as well, is hoping Arkansas will soon offer.
“It would be great for him to get that offer from his home state school and he would love it,” Coleman said.
Every school but two is recruiting Bohanon as an athlete. Arkansas State and Memphis have offered him as a quarterback.
“He is a great athlete and all those schools are recruiting him as that right now with an eye of him playing defense,” Coleman said. “But he puts down quarterback when he fills out the form and I think that is where he would really like to play.”
Bohanon passed for 1,763 yards ran for over 900 in just eight games as a sophomore. He said he is in no hurry to make a decision.
“I’m not leaning to any school right now,” Bohannon said. “I’m a junior and I’m just all about school right now.”
Bohanon first jumped on the scene as a ninth grader when he passed for more than 1,800 yards and rushed for more than 1,500 yards.
He also is a power forward for the basketball team, which won the Class 2A state championship last season - Earle's fourth in six years.
Bohannon plans to attend several all-star camps in the summer, including the Under Amour Combine and Elite 11 Regional ones.
“I’m not sure what all schools I will visit,” Bohannon said. “I haven’t begun to even think about that yet, but I guess I will start before too long.”