The Recruiting Guy

7-footer hears stories of Hogs

An Arkansas Razorback helmet at Chad Morris introductory press conference Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017.

Offensive lineman Trevor Roberson is educated about the history of the Arkansas Razorbacks program thanks to his basketball coach and Arkansas native Tim Webb.

Roberson, 7-0, 365 pounds, of Wellington, Texas, has 17 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech. He made an official visit to College Station last weekend.

He's expected to arrive in Fayetteville today for the start of his official visit to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Webb, a Little Rock native, is Wellington's basketball coach and an avid Hogs fan. He has been more than happy to give Roberson a history lesson on Hogs football, discussing the 1969 Texas game, 1992 Tennessee game and a bowl victory over Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl.

"I told him about when we had the old '69 shootout with Texas," Webb said. "I have that on tape, and I talked about the Tennessee field goal and talked about the Orange Bowl with Oklahoma with Lou Holtz."

The Razorbacks' history of offensive linemen and the natural beauty of the university and Northwest Arkansas are other points Webb has made.

"I said, 'Arkansas is known for linemen, and if you ever get up there and see the campus, it's going to blow your mind how beautiful it is,' " Webb said. "If Texas has anything green, they've built something on it. It's still beautiful in Arkansas. It's just a different place, it's hills and rivers. I said you need to see it."

Coach Chad Morris has talked up the Razorbacks' desire to recruit multiple-sport athletes. Roberson averaged 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks a game this past season while playing the post.

Opponents were often taken aback by Roberson's size and ability on the hardwood.

"The comment I would say about his size is that it has prepared us for any post we face," Webb said. "We played the state champs in the playoffs, had the lead for a great portion of the game, and their all-state 6-8 post was a small factor."

Webb talked up Arkansas' facilities.

"I said they have great facilities, as good as anything you're going to see around here," he said.

Roberson is a high-character teenager, said Webb.

"He's going to try and do his best," Webb said. "He's going to be trustworthy. He's just a good-character guy, and those are becoming harder to find."

Line visits

The Hogs also will host Razorbacks' offensive line commitment Beaux Limmer along with targets Joseph Stone, an offensive lineman, and defensive end Collin Clay.

Limmer, 6-5, 270, of Tyler (Texas) Lee pledged to the Hogs on March 8 after he and his parents visited Fayetteville the previous weekend. He picked the Razorbacks over scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Baylor, Vanderbilt, SMU, Tulsa and others.

Stone, 6-8, 340, of Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville, visited Fayetteville on Feb. 24 and received an offer from Coach Chad Morris and named the Hogs as his leader. His other offers include Purdue, Louisville, Florida Atlantic, Mercer and Middle Tennessee State.

Clay, 6-3, 235, of Oklahoma City Putnam has offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Houston, Minnesota and numerous others. He's visited Fayetteville twice before, with Feb. 24 being the latest.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com.

Sports on 04/13/2018