Searcy offensive lineman Drew Vest is following his dream to be an Arkansas Razorback.
Vest (6-5, 293 pounds) was committed to Central Arkansas, but the opportunity to play for Arkansas as a preferred walk-on was too much to pass up.
“It’s been long time coming and I’ve thought about it long and hard and I prayed about it and I talked to a lot of my different mentors,” Vest said. “I couldn’t think about the aftereffects if I would’ve gone to UCA and knowingly let go of an opportunity to play for my dream school and the opportunity to play at the highest level in football, and push myself the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself. That’s just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. "
He had other scholarship offers from Air Force, Yale, Dartmouth, Lamar, Tennessee-Martin, South Alabama and Houston Baptist.
“That’s nothing against the UCA coaches,” Vest said. “I love the UCA coaches and they’ve done so much for me, but at the end of the day I had a dream and you just have to chase the dream.”
Vest called Sean Tuohy, an assistant to Arkansas Coach Chad Morris, on Friday night after his game.
“He was super excited,” Vest said.
His dream of being a Razorback started early.
“Ever since I started playing football,” Vest said. “Everyone has that dream. Heck, probably before I started playing football. Everyone grows up watching the Razorbacks and being a Hog fan has that dream like, ‘Man I want to be that guy.'
“I think when I was 5 or 6, I was running around in a Matt Jones jersey.”
Vest, who has a 3.7 grade point average, plans to graduate in December and enroll in January.
“I’m really excited about that,” he said. “That’s going to give me a huge leg up and a huge opportunity.”
He has not decided on a major, but said he might seek a law degree.