Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema and his staff are using the bye week to hit the road recruiting. The coaches left Fayetteville on Sunday and started visiting football2017 and 2018 prospects on Monday.
The Hogs have 19 commitments, and they will be a focal point for the coaches this week.
"You're taking care of the kids that are committed to you first," Arkansas recruiting director E.K. Franks said.
Bielema is expected to visit Miami, north Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona this week. He started off in Florida on Monday and was known to have gone by the school of running back commitment Maleek Williams of Punta Gorda (Fla.) Charlotte with running backs coach Reggie Mitchell.
Dallas Bishop Dunne Coach Michael Johnson said Bielema will be by the school today to see cornerback Chevin Calloway and sophomore safety Brian Williams, who's the younger brother of Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams.
Calloway, 5-11, 185 pounds, 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has more than 30 scholarship offers, including ones from Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU and UCLA. ESPN rates him as the No. 8 cornerback and the nation's No. 76 overall prospect.He made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville for the Alabama game Oct. 8 and will make an official visit for the LSU game Nov. 12.
Mitchell will be in Texas today and again Thursday. He's expected attend Friday's game of running back commitment Chase Hayden, 5-11, 185, 4.47 of Collierville (Tenn.) St. George's Independent School.
The coaches will be back in Fayetteville for the late afternoon for the Razorbacks' practices Tuesday and Wednesday.
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos and defensive coordinator Robb Smith were in Arkansas on Monday. They'll conduct Thursday's practice while the others are on the road recruiting.
"The coaches will go back out Thursday, and the coordinators will stay for Thursday's practice," Franks said.
After practice, Enos will travel to Michigan to recruit while Smith will head to Oklahoma.
Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves was in Florida on Monday and will be Dallas later in the week.
Receivers coach Michael Smith was known to have seen receiver commitment Maleek Barkley, 5-11, 180, 4.45, of Austin (Texas) Lake Travis and defensive end target Nelson Mbanasor, 6-3, 265, 4.9, of Pflugerville (Texas) Hendrickson on Monday. Smith will be in Mississippi and Louisiana when the staff returns to the road Thursday.
Defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads recruited Louisiana on Monday and will head to Texas on Thursday. Defensive line coach Rory Segrest was in Kansas on Monday and will be in Alabama and Georgia later in the week.
Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson saw offensive line commitment Dalton Wagner, 6-9, 312, of Richmond,(Ill.) Richmond-Burton on Monday. He'll see offensive line commitment Shane Clenin, 6-6, 295, 5.1, of Festus (Mo.) Jefferson on Thursday.
The Hogs would like to add a fourth offensive lineman to the class. Anderson and Bielema will see Chuck Filiaga, 6-7, 334, of Aledo, Texas, today. Bielema will also visit offensive lineman D'Marcus Hayes, 6-6, 315, of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, on Thursday.
"The bulk of the other spots are focused on the defensive side," Franks said.
Some of the key defensive targets the Hogs are expected to see this week are safety J'Marick Woods, 6-4, 205, 4.6, of Florence, Ala.; as well as linebacker Thomas Johnston, 6-2, 220, 4.78, and LSU defense end commitment Justin Thomas, 6-5, 265, both of Spanish Fort, Ala. Two junior college prospects in Texas are also on the to see list: defensive end Micheal Clemons, 6-7, 240, 4.5, of Cisco College, and defensive lineman/Florida commitment Javier Edwards, 6-3, 338, of Blinn College.
Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. will focus on in-state talent and then head west.
"Barry is pretty much in Arkansas all week and then on Saturday he'll be in Texas and Arizona," Lunney said.
Lunney is expected to see tight end commitment Jeremy Patton, 6-6, 248, 4.59, and defensive lineman Craig Evans, 6-3, 305, of Arizona Western College. Evans committed to Bielema at Wisconsin, but reconsidered when Bielema left for Arkansas. He made an official visit to Fayetteville in 2013 before signing with Michigan State.
He left the Spartans in the spring and eventually landed at Arizona Western.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com
Sports on 10/25/2016