FAYETTEVILLE — It didn't take Dustin Fry long to know that recruiting could take off at Arkansas. The offensive line coach for Chad Morris fell in love with Fayetteville after just a few days.
However, it wasn't a surprise. One of the best offensive line coaches to go before Fry at Arkansas provided the scouting report at the national convention just days after Morris began to announce his new staff.
Sam Pittman, now line coach at Georgia, went on and on about what Fry would find in Northwest Arkansas. Pittman was Bret Bielema's line coach at Arkansas for three seasons from 2013-15.
“One of my friends in coaching is Sam Pittman,” Fry said. “He has been a few places, but he told me that he and his wife say Fayetteville is their favorite place they’ve ever lived. I know J.B. Grimes loved it here, too. I knew we’d like it.
“It’s just beautiful. Everyone who comes here is blown away. It’s simple things, really. Just the view from the practice field. You stand there and look south and there are the mountains. There is not a prettier place to be anywhere.
“I’ve already seen what they are talking about. Yes, the facilities and campus is great, but the town is tops. Everyone on our staff believes that and we think we can recruit here.”
That was from an interview one week into spring drills. Fry had just left a recruiting room with close to 400 prospects for a Saturday practice. And, yes, Fry and the rest of the Morris staff proved Wednesday they can recruit to Fayetteville.
Fry helped the Hogs reload their offensive line with six players signed to letters of intent, and one more as a recruited walk-on set to enroll in the spring. Two in that bunch are junior college stars coveted by the nation's top programs.
Morris praised Fry's recruiting ability, noting the addition of the two JUCO linemen and the addition of a four-star signee all in the last two weeks. Morris also added that he hoped the Hogs “would never have to recruit six in one class again.”
That points to the need that Fry inherited at Arkansas. It might be a beautiful place to live, but it was also helpful in recruiting that Arkansas football fell into that old state nickname adopted in 1953: The Land of Opportunity.
There was a time last fall when only eight offensive linemen on scholarship were available to practice. There was only one week when there was as many as 10. Fry ached for true competition in practice. Misses in evaluations and injuries can wipe out depth.
Fry beamed on Wednesday as the talked about his newly-acquired talent. Here's the list with notable offers:
• Myron Cunningham (6-6, 305, Iowa Central Community College) - Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi State, Missouri.
• Brady Latham (6-5, 290, Tulsa, Jenks) – Utah State, New Mexico, Missouri State.
• Beaux Limmer (6-5, 270, Tyler, Texas, Lee) – Oklahoma State, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Houston.
• Chibueze Nwanna (6-8, 315, Lackawanna College) – Louisville, Maryland, UMass, San Diego State.
• Dylan Rathcke (6-5, 290, Baton Rouge, La., University Lab) – Louisville, Colorado State, Tulane.
• Ricky Stromberg (6-4, 280, Tulsa, Union) – Tulsa, Colorado State, North Texas, Utah State.
Fry opened his comments on Wednesday with Cunningham, still filling out, but rippling with muscles.
“He’s pretty,” Fry said. “He has traps (muscles) and almost has a six pack, and you’re like, ‘Man, he’s almost 300 pounds.’ We’ve got to fatten him up a little bit, but he’s going to be a special one.”
Fry said his knowledge of the offense will help him this spring. Iowa Central's offense is similar, “so he’s going to fit us really well. Competition brings the best out of anybody, and if anything he’s going to light that room up, because competition is coming."
Limmer needs bulk, too, but he's a physical blocker at 270 pounds.
“When you watch him, over and over he’s putting people on their back,” Fry said. “All of these O-linemen that we’re bringing in, the biggest thing you see is that they are finishers and then they’re looking for someone else to go after….He knows he’s going to have to add some bulk, add some weight, but, man, he’s got such great feet and that mentality. When he adds 15 pounds of muscle, you’re going to have a special player right there."
Latham was an early offer and that paid off as some jumped in late.
"Brady is a kid that we knew about in the spring,” Fry said. “The crazy thing is that he was only 240 pounds, so I think he was a little under-recruited. He just blew up weight-wise and Coach (Barry) Lunney did a great job of going by there. He said, ‘Hey, man, I think this kid is going to be really good. We can wait a little bit, but he’s going to end up picking up a bunch of stuff."
Fry said early evaluations pay off.
“I’m not afraid to be a first-offer guy or to put my name out there to get a kid if I like them,” Fry said. “Coach Lunney and I thought we needed to go ahead and offer this kid before he starts blowing up. I’m glad we did because there have been a lot of calls that he turned down since he committed to us.
“His dad played center at Oklahoma, so if we were going to be later, it probably wasn’t going to work out too well for us. He’s a great finisher. He’s the type that is going to get through a block and look for somebody to hit every time."
Nwanna has been dubbed "Boise" by his new coaches and has an awesome frame.
“He really can scratch the back of his calves standing up; he’s that long,” Fry said. “That’s what we really need. I have some kids with some length, but this is crazy length, this is NFL length.
“This is the type that he can put his arm out and guys can’t get to him, and that’s huge in this league because you know how long those defensive ends are.
“Chibueze is a great kid, a very quiet kid. He’s still raw, still has to grow and still has to get stronger, but with that frame he has and the type of kid he is and the type of work ethic he has, it’s only going to get better. I see him as one of those guys that he’s going to come in early, going to attack the weight room.
“He’s very smart and he understands football, and understands what he needs to do. He’s a trash talker, too. Coach (Joe) Craddock and I saw him at his bowl game and he was talking trash. I was like, ‘Wow, Boise, I didn’t know you had that in you.’ We’re pretty excited about Boise.”
Rathcke's reputation is that he plays to the whistle.
"Dylan is just off his second state championship,” Fry said. “He’s one of those kids that is a lean 290 pounds. He’s 6-5 and has a lot of frame to grow on and get stronger. Just like Brady, he’s a kid that is always looking to finish or somebody to hit late. He’s a hard worker.
“Great family, and that’s a theme you’re going to see with all these kids, that they will come in and fit our room really well."
Stromberg was a late addition to the class, a flip from a Tulsa commitment.
"It’s funny looking at the pictures from when he was here in February because we’ve known about Ricky for a long time,” Fry said. “He was actually about 320, a little overweight, didn’t move as well and played tackle.
“I really liked him and thought he was a great kid. He had a just fantastic senior year. He got down to 280, moved inside to play center, play guard. He can play those interior spots really well. Like Brady, like Dylan, like Beaux, he’s another kid that is physical and looking for somebody to hit.”
Ah, that fits the land of opportunity and need theme. Where there is an opportunity to hit someone, these guys see a need to make it happen.
It's a beautiful thought and that fits their new home, exactly what Dustin Fry saw as soon as he arrived.