Springdale Har-Ber junior linebacker Oliver Nasilai made his third visit to Arkansas on Saturday for the LSU game.
“I like them because they are in SEC and right next to home,” Nasilai said.
Nasilai, 6-2, 242, 4.74 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has a scholarship offer from Brigham Young and is drawing interest from Arkansas, Arizona State, Utah, Northwestern, Virginia, Navy and others.
He has 56 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, an interception, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal going into Friday’s playoff game against Bryant. Nasilai recorded 67 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble and an interception as a sophomore.
Har-Ber Coach Chris Wood believes Nasilai is a special talent.
“All of the years I’ve been up in the 7A West, I’ve never seen a Mike linebacker like him,” Wood said in an earlier interview.
Nasilai is communicating with Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. and is hearing positive words.
“They really like how I play,” he said.
He has visited Oklahoma State and has plans to make trips to Brigham Young, Utah, Navy and others in the spring.
Football is a stress reliever for Nasilai.
“I love hitting people,” he said. “With school and everything stressing me out, football is the place where I can just unload and do whatever I want.”