The Recruiting Guy

Arkansas visit stuns running back Rakeem Boyd

Running back Rakeem Boyd.

— Running back Rakeem Boyd, who spent a year at Texas A&M before going to junior college, was stunned by Arkansas’ facilities after visiting the Hogs over the weekend.

“The facilities, I didn't know it was that big,” Boyd said. “I was shocked. They are building stuff on, the academic center and stuff. The pools and stuff like that are huge. I have never seen anything like it.

"They have a lot of bigger things there at Arkansas. I’m just saying the training room and stuff like that and maybe the academic building, the learning center, stuff like that. There’s more stuff to help you out.”

Boyd, 6-0, 207 pounds, attended Houston (Texas) Stratford High School and signed with the Aggies in 2016. He left College Station last year as a redshirt freshman and enrolled at Independence Community College in Kansas.

Sophomore running back Devwah Whaley was his host and showed him around for the visit.

“I like Fayetteville,” Boyd said. “It’s a little bit different from other schools. It's SEC.”

Boyd believes Coach Chad Morris will lead the Hogs to big things.

“So there's a lot of things gonna be changed,” Boyd said. “I might give it a chance. I take a visit to Arizona next weekend and then after that Colorado. I don't know from here, but I did have a great visit.”

He rushed 192 times for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season for the Pirates. Boyd likes the recruiting approach of running backs coach Jeff Traylor.

“He’s one of these guys he’s going to put it on the table and keep it real with you and stuff like that.,” he said. “So you’re going to want that in the recruiting process, that honesty, that loyalty and stuff like that. I could already feel him out and stuff like that. He’s a pretty good man.”

It appears he’s down to Arkansas, Colorado and Arizona, who recently hired former Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin.

“They’ll probably be more coming along come signing day because I finally let out my highlight tape,” Boyd said. “I’m just enjoying my visits right now.”