FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will host a junior college offensive linemen this weekend that could be back in a few months to stay for a couple of years if he likes what he sees.
Mission Viejo (Calif.) Saddleback College offensive lineman Tim Anderson (6-5, 280), who is a mid-term enrollee, will arrive on Friday afternoon as one of nine official visitors the Razorbacks are hosting this weekend.
“I am just really interested in the program itself,” Anderson said. “I love the coaches and stuff and they have always been really cool to me. I am looking forward to seeing the atmosphere. Really I am just looking forward to seeing all of it.”
Anderson, who has also visited Louisville, doesn’t rule out the possibility of committing to the Razorbacks while he is Fayetteville.
“I am not entirely sure yet,” Anderson said. “I want to see how it goes, but Arkansas is definitely my No. 1 right now. That is pretty much all I have got to say on that.”
Arkansas is graduating three senior starters in left guard Hjalte Froholdt, right guard Johnny Gibson and right tackle Brian Wallace and needs an immediate impact junior college standout or two to strengthen its line.
It’s a sentiment Razorback offensive line coach Dustin Fry and head coach Chad Morris have gotten across to the standout, who could play either tackle or guard at Arkansas.
“I have talked to Coach Fry a lot and Coach Morris, too, and he has told me a lot of times that he wants me to be a guy that comes in and plays right away for them,” Anderson said. “Obviously I still have to compete for it and I love doing that and always go after it 100 percent when I have a challenge. So I think it will be really great and really cool and I welcome the opportunity.”
Anderson is playing left tackle for the second year for the Gauchos.
“I think my biggest strength is I think I am really quick for an offensive lineman,” Anderson said. “I have really good feet and I have been told by my coaches and Arkansas coaches that my pass pro is really good and that I am good at staying square and staying back. I also have a pretty long base.
“I probably need to work on finishing a little bit more and I think I have done that this season. That has definitely increased this season.”
Anderson played his prep football at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo and had the grade point average to get into college.
But a miscommunication on the number of core classes needed to be eligible in Division I tripped him up.
After considering giving up the game, Anderson talked to Saddleback head Mark McElroy and decided to sign with the Gauchos in a decision that has worked out great.
"I'm really happy," Anderson said. "I love the game more than anything, so I made the right decision to keep playing.”
Anderson was All-National Division League status last season as freshman on a 9-3 team.
The Gauchos are 2-3 in 2018 with two wins in their last three weeks, a bye on Saturday and five straight games to close out the regular season.
“We started off a little slow,” Anderson said. “We just had three starters coming back in me, our left guard and one of our wide receivers. So we had a lot of new guys coming in and I think we definitely struggled in the beginning because of that.
“We have all kind of come together now and realized what we can do together, which I think is the best thing about football. I think from here on out we are going to be pretty solid.”