The atmosphere for the Arkansas-Kentucky basketball game received good reviews from basketball recruits, and Razorback defensive end commitment Jashaud Stewart would agree.
“The highlight was the Kentucky and Arkansas game,” Stewart said of his official visit. “The fans rocked. It was a crazy atmosphere. You could barely hear yourself talk in there. It was crazy.”
Stewart (6-2, 224 pounds, 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash) of Jonesboro was one of 13 visitors Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and his staff hosted this weekend. The Razorbacks landed three commitments Saturday, but Stewart doesn't think they will be the only ones to come from the group that visited this weekend.
“I feel like it, especially being on with Coach Pittman and the new staff,” Stewart said. “I feel like we’ll get more commits.”
Stewart said he thinks Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium will soon have a similar atmosphere to Saturday’s packed Bud Walton Arena.
“A new staff, we’re all coming in hungry and it’s going to be different,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be a different atmosphere.”
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network rates Stewart a 4-star recruit. Stewart recorded 114 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble as a senior.
Stewart’s stock jumped in the spring of 2019 when he recorded the nation’s sixth-best combine rating (131.76) at the St. Louis Opening Regional. His rating was ninth-best nationally after other regionals were completed.
He ran 4.14 seconds in the pro agility shuttle and recorded a 36.4-inch vertical jump. He threw the power ball 44 feet.
Some see him as a defensive end in college, while others like him at linebacker. It appears Arkansas will make that decision once he’s on campus.
“They really were not sure,” Stewart said. “It depends on what defense they’re going to be running. They’re just ready for me to come up here so they can kind of see my strengths and my weaknesses.”
Stewart has no preference on his position at Arkansas.
“Not really. I just want to play, just being honest,” he said.
Stewart has a 325-pound bench press, 500-pound squat and a 325-pound power clean. ESPN rates Stewart a 3-star recruit and the No. 44 outside linebacker in the nation.
Stewart was the first recruit who received an in-home visit from Pittman after he was hired as Arkansas' coach in December.