FAYETTEVILLE — One day after his introductory press conference at Arkansas, Sam Pittman headed to the eastern part of the state for an in-home visit with one of the Razorbacks' top commitments in the 2020 class.
In Hazen, less than a 50-mile drive from Little Rock, he met for the first time Blayne Toll, the four-star athlete, according to ESPN, who in recent years took small-school Arkansas football by storm with his physicality and production.
Pittman was also treated to a great meal, he said, courtesy of Craigs Bar-B-Q in nearby De Valls Bluff.
"They had some of the best barbecue possible in Arkansas at their house," Pittman said Wednesday. "They had the best barbecue in the world. I don’t want to offend anybody’s barbecue. You probably have some (that is) good at your house, but that barbecue was good."
His conversation with Toll and his parents, George and Tabatha, was as well, sparking his excitement in bringing the 6-5, 242-pounder on board in January as an early enrollee. He chose Arkansas over finalists Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Memphis.
Toll also held scholarship offers from LSU, Auburn, Nebraska, TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Baylor and numerous other programs.
"The parents are unbelievable, just very, very fine folks," Pittman said. "Great looking kid. We’re looking at him at several positions on the defensive line. He can run.
"He loves the Razorbacks. His parents love the Razorbacks. He was one that was committed to us that stayed with us."
Toll, who committed to Arkansas on June 28, signed his national letter of intent Wednesday while on vacation in Cancun.
As a junior, Toll finished with 756 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns, 601 passing yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively he recorded 75 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, forced 2 fumbles and intercepted a pass in leading Hazen to the class 2A state championship game as a junior.
In 2019, he tallied 60 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, rushed for 178 yards, 5 touchdowns and recorded a blocking grade above 90 percent. Hazen finished 10-2 and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network is high on Toll and likes his prospects at the college level.
“He’s the best athlete in Arkansas,” Lemming told WholeHogSports over the summer. “He already looks like a college player. Very confident multi-position talent.”
Toll playing a number of positions in high school - quarterback, tight end, defensive end, defensive tackle - could prove to be beneficial with the Razorbacks.
"I loved him. You can do a lot of things with him," Pittman said. "He’s got a body. He’s a very smart kid. So he was very impressive, very impressive as a young man and impressive on tape.
"I know they play a little bit smaller classification ball here in the state, but very gracious parents and a wonderful home visit."