THE RECRUITING GUY

North Little Rock CB shows SPARQ

Kavin Alexander.

ALLEN, Texas - North Little Rock cornerback Kavin Alexander scored a 129.24 at the Nike Football SPARQ Combine in Dallas last year and finished first among about 1,200 athletes.

He shattered those numbers Saturday with a rating of 148.17 at the event at Allen High School. SPARQ measures speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness.

Alexander, 5-9, 182 pounds, recorded an electronic time of 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical leap, a 3.90-second time in the pro shuttle and threw the 6.6-pound power ball 42 ½ feet.

The 148.17 is reportedly the second-best score ever. It is the best in the nation this season, topping the 126.63 scored by Dontrell Hilliard of Baton Rouge Scotlandville Magnet.

Alexander is drawing interest from Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Michigan and Oklahoma State, among others.

“It was amazing,” Alexander said of competing at the combine. “It was good to come down here with the team and win and have the team support. “

He said he didn’t expect to score so high.

“I didn’t, but Coach [Brad] Bolding did,” Alexander said. “I guess he saw something I didn’t see, but we did a lot of preparation for it. … We started last month working on everything.”

Arkansas running back commitment Juan Day of North Little Rock scored 107.55. He ran the 40 in 4.72 and the pro shuttle in 4.53, had a 35.7-inch vertical leap and tossed the power ball 43 feet.

Springdale athlete Deandre Murray recorded a 107.91. He ran the 40 in 4.44 seconds and the pro shuttle in 4.30 seconds, had a 35.3-inch vertical leap and tossed the power ball 37 feet. He is drawing interest from Arkansas, Auburn, Arkansas State, Memphis, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.

Strong sophomore offensive lineman Devante Lovett, 6-5, 282, was one of the more impressive linemen at the combine. He ran the 40 in 5.40 and the pro shuttle in 4.83, had a 22-inch vertical leap and threw the power ball 35 feet. His rating was 63.96.

Another sophomore, athlete Avery Johnson of Highland, also performed well. Johnson, 6-1, 206, ran the 40 in 4.69 and the pro shuttle in 4.50, had a 32.4-inch vertical leap and threw the power ball 42.5 feet for a 104.37 rating.

Little Rock Central running back Logan Moragne, 5-8, 184, ran the 40 in 4.59 and the pro shuttle in 4.37. He recorded a 35.8-inch vertical leap tossed the power ball 37 feet and finished with a 100.56 rating.

North Little Rock sophomore receiver K.J. Hill, 6-0, 178, scored 115.14. He ran the 40 in 4.66 and the pro shuttle in 4.00, had a vertical leap of 35.6 inches and tossed the power ball 39 feet.

North Little Rock offensive lineman Curtis Parker scored 98.10 and will likely eclipse 100 points once his 53-foot power ball toss is added into his score. The current SPARQ rating for the power ball only goes up to 50 feet, so officials will have to calculate a rating that goes beyond 50 feet.

Parker, 6-2, 276, ran the 40 in 4.94 and the pro shuttle in 4.60 and had a vertical leap of 26 inches.

BUILDING TRUST

Arkansas linebackers coach Randy Shannon isn’t one to sugarcoat things during the recruiting process, and his frank approach left an impression with several prospects leading up to national signing day.

Shannon was the lead recruiter on signees Denver Kirkland, a highly recruited offensive lineman from Miami Washington, and safety De’Andre Coley of Miami Northwestern.

“You have to make sure they understand what’s going to happen when they get into college and you’re going to be there for them,” Shannon said. “A lot of times people go into homes and tell the kids what they want to hear. I’m going to be upfront and honest with them, and they know what they’re getting themselves into when they attend the University of Arkansas instead of getting here and saying, ‘Coach, this is not what I’ve seen, not what you told me.’

“It’s like anything: You have to be upfront and honest, and they have to trust and believe in you.”

A long-term relationship with Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and the chance to coach in the SEC helped convinced Shannon to move to Fayetteville after serving one year on the TCU staff.

“We’ve been communicating over the last 15, 16 years maybe twice a year,” Shannon said. “It was an opportunity for me to go work with a guy I’ve been knowing for a long time.” E-mail Richard Davenport at

rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports, Pages 24 on 04/07/2013