The Recruiting Guy

OU grad transfer LB pledges to Hogs

Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman speaks to the crowd during a basketball game between Arkansas and Tulsa on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Former Oklahoma linebacker and graduate transfer Levi Draper has announced plans to transfer to Arkansas after he graduates in May.

He and his parents visited Fayetteville over the weekend.

“Man, I fell in love with it," Draper said. "I loved everything about it. I talked to coach (Sam) Pittman, coach (Barry) Odom and coach (Rion) Rhoades. I loved all of them. The rest of the staff was great, too, and I just felt like it was a great fit.”

Draper, 6-1, 234 pounds, was an ESPN 4-star recruit, the No. 6 inside linebacker and the No. 191 overall prospect in the nation in the 2017 class. He initially signed with Oklahoma over Arkansas, Alabama, Florida State, Clemson, Arizona State and others.

He visited the Razorbacks during his recruitment before he signed with the Sooners.

“I always liked Arkansas, but I ended up going a different route, but once I made the decision to move on, they were definitely right there at the top,” Draper said.

Draper played in all 14 games for the Sooners while mainly playing on special teams and recording 3 tackles last season.

As a redshirt freshman, he also mainly played on special teams. He will have immediate eligibility next season and two years to play.

Mississippi State, Utah, Tulsa, Minnesota and several other schools also reached out after he entered the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 16.