THE RECRUITING GUY

Arkansas highlighted on UA recruiting map

Barry Lunney Jr. will be responsible for recruiting most in-state players at the University of Arkansas.

Arkansas has finalized the recruiting areas of its coaching staff, including five coaches recruiting talent-rich Texas, but the focus will start at home.

“In-state is our No. 1 priority,” said Chris Hauser, Arkansas’ director of recruiting. “First of all because in the state this is their football team. There has to be a belief and knowledge in understanding the kids in this state. If they run the same 40[-yard dash time] or they have the same athletic ability as the kid from another state, we’re going to take the kid from this state every time.”

Hauser said he believes high school football in the state is underrated.

“The high school coaches in the state don’t get enough credit for quality of players who have come from the state.” Hauser said.

Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. will recruit all of Arkansas except northeast Arkansas, which will be recruited by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jim Chaney. Lunney also will recruit the northeast corner of Texas while Chaney also will have Missouri and Tennessee, including Memphis.

Defensive coordinator Chris Ash will recruit junior colleges in southern California, the northern part of Houston, some of eastern Texas and Chicago. Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge will be in charge of recruiting Wisconsin, Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida and Pittsburgh.

Cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson will recruit Georgia and spot recruit in his native state of Ohio. Linebackers coach Randy Shannon will use Florida connections to recruit Dade County, Fort Meyers-Naples, Tampa and Orlando, where there are direct flights to Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. He’ll also seek talent in the northern part of Atlanta and Mobile, Ala. Running backs coach Joel Thomas will be in charge of recruiting Washington state, east Dallas, east Texas and the northern California junior colleges while offensive line coach Sam Pittman will recruit Oklahoma, Kansas and the junior colleges in Kansas along with north Dallas and Fort Worth.

South Dallas and junior colleges in the area will be recruited by receivers coach Michael Smith, who will also cover he southern part of Houston and below and Louisiana.

Graduate assistants aren’t allowed to recruit off campus, but they are allowed to talk to prospects on the phone, Twitter and Facebook. Offensive line graduate assistant Eric Mateos will recruit Mississippi and its junior colleges. Quarterback graduate assistant coach Tommy Mangino will help Pittman with Kansas junior colleges while defensive graduate assistant Terrance Butler will recruit Alabama. Defensive backs graduate assistant Nick Caley will help Johnson in recruiting Ohio.

Hauser said Coach Bret Bielema is the key component in recruiting and never turns down a request to write or talk to a recruit.

“If people don’t know him, he’s a person who really enjoys people,” Hauser said. “He likes to be around people. He recruits harder than anyone on our staff with the amount of phone calls and the letters I have him write. He’s all for it.”

Hauser said Bielema is gifted when it comes to relating to kids from different backgrounds from all parts of the country.

“He has that ability to identify with a lot of different types of people and speak their language, and he does it in a real way,” Hauser said. “He doesn’t change himself. I think he opens his ears and can listen and appreciate where people come from and understand not everyone came from the same background like him.”

When deciding if a prospect is a good fit for the program, Hauser said several factors are considered including how a recruit conducts himself on social media.

“You can know about a kid or learn about a kid from just watching, by what they post on Twitter or Facebook,” he said. “It’s the way this generation is communicating. It’s our job to figure out the language and what it says about that recruit or that person character wise.”

Bielema had a successful walk-on program at Wisconsin that produced Houston Texans defensive end and All-Pro J.J. Watt. The Hogs look to put a greater emphasis on walk-ons. Hauser said strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert and the coaching staff give an athlete that loves football a good chance to develop into a scholarship athlete.

“Sometimes things work out to where those kids become better football players than some of the kids you put a lot of time and investment in recruiting them and offering them a scholarship.” Hauser said.

Hauser said he’s passionate about getting to know to the recruits on a personal level. “Getting to know the kids is what I think my strength is whether or not they fit what we are looking for build a great team,” Hauser said. “You have to spend time on finding out what each player’s makeup is and trust your judgment.”

E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports, Pages 22 on 03/12/2013