Running back King Doerue already had 15 scholarship offers before a surprising offer from the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday.
"It was nice getting the Arkansas offer," Doerue said. "I'm blessed with the opportunity. I was extremely happy. It surprised me really because it's pretty far away. I didn't expect it, but I was real happy they're recruiting me from that far and found me. It was a blessing."
Doerue, 6-0, 207 pounds, of Amarillo (Texas) Tascosa also has offers from schools such as Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Ole Miss, TCU and others. He has some former teammates that attend the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville that have told him positive things.
"This was before I got the offer," said Doerue, who has a 315-pound bench press and 430 squat. "They told me Arkansas needs to offer you and you should come to Arkansas. This is the place to be."
Since January, he's made trips to LSU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and TCU. He has plans to visit Fayetteville.
"I'm for sure going to visit," he said.
His relationship with associate head coach and running backs coach Jeff Traylor is in an early stage.
"We talk on the phone here and there," Doerue said. "I'm still getting to know him, but from the looks of it he's real cool."
Doerue, who recorded a hand-held 10.63 seconds in the 100 meters recently, rushed 53 times for 473 yards and 9 touchdowns on a team that featured five runners with more than 400 yards last season.
Distance won't be a factor in Doerue's college decision.
"I'm looking for a school that's going to get me to my max potential, and that's going to get me to where I need to be," he said. "Somewhere I'm going to play and somewhere I'm not just going to be a better football player but also a better man."
Doerue has a 3.4 grade-point average and is planning to major in kinesiology.
"I want to be a coach or a physical therapist," he said.
Return visit
Offensive lineman Beaux Limmer received a scholarship offer from Arkansas during a March 3 visit, and on March 8 he publicly committed to the Hogs.
He and his parents made their way back to Fayetteville on Thursday and Friday, and he left even more upbeat about being a Razorback.
"Made me more excited to get up there," Limmer said.
Limmer, 6-5, 270, of Tyler (Texas) Lee chose the Hogs over offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor, Vanderbilt, SMU, Tulsa and others. His first visit was during a prospect day when numerous other recruits were on campus.
"I also wanted a more personal tour without a big group around," Limmer said.
He was able to get an in-depth look at the dorms and the Jerry and Gene Jones Academic Center, along with the other facilities.
"The dorms were very nice and spacious, and the Jones center was very impressive," Limmer said. "I liked how you can walk straight from the nutrition side to the academic/study side all in one building."
Limmer's coach, Kurt Traylor, is the younger brother of Razorbacks associate head coach and running backs coach Jeff Traylor, who is Limmer's lead recruiter.
The future Hog felt at home on both visits, but the latest one allowed him more 1-on-1 time with the staff.
"They treated me with unbelievable hospitality while I was up there both visits, but even moreso this last visit because they didn't have to worry about a big group," Limmer said. "I got a better feel for the facilities and the coaching staff both, so I'm excited to keep going back."
Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 04/03/2018