University of Arkansas tight end commitment Shamar Easter kicked off his junior season with an impressive performance in Ashdown’s 37-7 victory over Hamburg on Friday.
Easter, 6-6, 225 pounds, had two receiving touchdowns, a blocked punt for a safety and five pancake blocks against the Lions while looking like a man among boys.
“He blocked the man at the line of scrimmage and pancaked one guy, and then he went down field and pancaked a linebacker,” Ashdown Coach Matt Richardson said of one play. “So he had two pancakes in plays. There was another play he came around the edge and he de-cleated somebody.”
The future Razorback also punted and kicked off for the Panthers.
“Our announcer is my preacher, and he said, ‘Man, I think he sold popcorn at halftime and drove the bus, too,’” Richardson said.
Easter was the first 2023 in-state prospect to receive an offer from Coach Sam Pittman, and he became the first Razorback pledge for the 2023 class on Aug. 13. He chose Arkansas over scholarship offers from Florida State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan State, Arizona State and others.
Easter had 22 receptions for 400 yards and 7 touchdowns last year. ESPN rates him a 4-star recruit, the No. 7 tight end and No. 200 overall prospect in the nation.
He received the majority of his scholarship offers as a 15-year-old sophomore. Richardson believes Easter is starting to realize how good he can be.
“There were glimpses of him looking like, ‘I’m the biggest and strongest guy on the field,’” Richardson said.
Richardson, who was a student manager for the football Razorbacks in the early 2000s, preached to Easter about playing with confidence.
“I told him there’s a big difference in arrogance and confidence,” Richardson said. “I said arrogant players get humbled. Everyone gets humbled. I’m asking you to believe in yourself that you’re the baddest dude out here on the field. I said there’s nothing wrong with you thinking you’re the best player.
“It’s starting to click.”
He also pointed out that being a Razorback commitment brings more responsibility and attention.
“We had a talk before the game,” Richardson said. “I asked him, ‘When you were a kid, who’s the one player you wish you could’ve seen?” and he said Kobe [Bryant]. I said, ‘Can you imagine going to see Kobe?You have your jersey on, you sit down, you have your popcorn, and you look out and they run out and Kobe is dressed in his street clothes. He’s not playing that night.’
“I said, ‘Here’s the deal, you’re a Razorback. Someone in Hamburg tonight paid to come see Shamar. Not to come see the Ashdown Panthers. They’ve come to watch you play.’ And I said, ‘Every play you have to go 100% because someone has paid money to see you and you can’t disappoint them. You don’t want the one time someone saw you, you had an off night.’”
Easter also plays defensive end on third-and-long situations, but he didn’t play defense Friday.
“He was special,” Richardson said. “He had a really good game.”