The Recruiting Guy

Morris first to contact top junior

Arkansas coach Chad Morris talks to players during a game against North Texas on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas Coach Chad Morris was the first to direct message one highly recruited junior prospect Sept. 1, and the effort won’t soon be forgotten.

That was the first day college coaches could reach out to 2020 recruits. Linebacker Bryson Eason was impressed Morris was so quick to send him a graphic showing him running out of the tunnel at Razorback Stadium in a personalized Arkansas uniform.

“As soon as Sept. 1 hit that Saturday morning, Friday night, he hit me up and sent me some cool pictures to let me know they were interested in me,” Eason said. “It was love, and I liked it. A few colleges did as well, but theirs stood out a lot to me.”

Eason, 6-2, 248 pounds, of Memphis Whitehaven, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and others. He was one of 157 junior prospects Morris reached out to during the early morning hours.

“Well, it means a lot. First of all because Arkansas is in the SEC, and I love the SEC,” Eason said. “The game there is smash-mouth football, and that’s what Bryson Eason’s game is all about. And then them showing love shows they’re interested in me. It shows a lot and puts them pretty high on my list.”

ESPN rates Eason a 4-star prospect, the No. 5 inside linebacker and the No. 218 overall prospect in the nation for the 2020 class. He recorded 111 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a recovered fumble as a sophomore.

He, along with junior safety Tamarion McDonald and linebacker Martavius French, are looking to visit Arkansas this season.

Eason is wearing a boot after injuring his ankle in the second game of the season. He is expected to learn Thursday when he can get back on the field. Eason said Morris and defensive coordinator John Chavis have been checking in on him.

“They just hit me up and ask how I’m doing and what I’m doing to get better,” Eason said. “Go have a good game, go support my teammates. It’s the little things that count because obviously they just don’t care about the athlete, they care about me, and that’s a big part of the recruiting process.

"Some people just want the football player Bryson Eason.”