Razorbacks pick up pledges from DE, four-star WR

Shamar Nash

The Arkansas Razorbacks landed two of their targets Saturday after hosting them for official visits Thursday through Saturday.

Wide receiver Shamar Nash flipped his oral commitment from Missouri to the Hogs after the visit.

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"It's the coaches and the players, the atmosphere and the city," Nash said. "I love the vibe and the entire thing it is about. It is all about football. It is all about Arkansas football."

Nash, 6-2, 190 pounds, of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., also had scholarship offers from Auburn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Florida and several others.

"I love the people," Nash said. "It was a great trip, and I look forward to coming back. It's a great place to be."

He and receivers coach Justin Stepp have a strong bond.

"Coach Stepp is my dude," Nash said. "If it wasn't for Coach Stepp, Arkansas wouldn't be as highly recommended as they are. He is as real as they come. He is a family guy. He cares about my family as much as he cares about his own. He cares about my future as much as he cares about anybody else's. I just have to appreciate him for that."

Nash, who's rated as a four-star prospect by CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, is happy about his decision to attend IMG Academy after playing his junior season at Memphis Central High School.

"IMG was a great decision for me," he said. "I really appreciate IMG, and it has been very beneficial to the process."

Also Saturday, defensive end Mataio Soli committed to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville after the two-day trip.

He recently narrowed his list of more than 50 offers to Arkansas, Florida and Auburn.

"It's the best fit for me," Soli said. "I love Coach Morris and I love the staff. They have big things planned for Arkansas. I had a great time on the official visit."

Soli, 6-3, 227, from Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County also has offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Stanford, Virginia, Vanderbilt and others. His father, Junior Soli, played nose guard for the Hogs and earned All-SEC honors in 1995.

"I just had the home feeling," Mataio Soli said. "When I was there, I met a whole lot of friends with a whole lot of the players and everybody there."

He and his family visited the Razorbacks in April. Soli's mother, Karen, who's from Sparkman, graduated from Arkansas along with several other family members.

Soli -- who made 77 tackles, 18 sacks and 20 tackles for loss as a junior -- knew he might pledge to the Hogs before the visit.

"I was thinking about it," Soli said. "Arkansas was big on my list. To be committed and finally be done with the recruiting process is great."

Nash and Soli are the fifth and sixth commitments for the 2019 class. Oral commitments are nonbinding.

Sports on 06/10/2018