Recruiting Guy

Carter on target for defensive back

An Arkansas football helmet sits on the sideline during a game between the Razorbacks and Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in Fayetteville.

University of Arkansas cornerbacks coach Sam Carter predicted early that highly regarded sophomore Toriano Pride Jr. was suited for cornerback, and he was right.

Pride, 5-11, 179 pounds, of St. Louis Lutheran North, has already accumulated 12 scholarship offers early in the recruiting process from schools like Arkansas, Florida State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Minnesota and others.

Toriano Pride Jr. highlights

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Carter, who joined the Razorbacks staff after serving as a defensive quality control coach and analyst at Missouri, told Pride that his future was in the defensive backfield during a Tigers satellite camp in St. Louis.

Pride, who was about to enter the seventh grade, was playing running back at the time.

"He's the one when I was younger that said I'm really a corner," Pride said. "He showed me a lot of technique. He's been following me ever since."

He admitted he wasn't ready to give up running the ball.

"It kind of went in in ear and out the other, but my dad always remembered it," Pride said.

The elder Pride looks back on Carter's prediction with a chuckle.

"As soon as he got to high school, that's where they put him," Pride Sr. said. "We really joke about that to this day."

Carter was a three-year starter and a three-time All-Big 12 safety at TCU from 2011-2014 before launching his coaching career. The younger Pride holds Carter in high regards.

"Coach Carter really feels like family," Pride Jr. said. "He treats me like one of his kids. Even outside of football, I feel like I can come to him just like a regular person and talk about my problems. Everything I talk about, he's probably been through it."

Arkansas is expected to host numerous junior and sophomore prospects Saturday, including Pride and his father.

"I just want to build a great relationship with all of the coaching staff and get to know them more on a personal basis," Pride Jr. said of his visit. "I just hope I catch a good vibe with the campus and I like it. "

They've recently taken trips to see Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas and Illinois.

"We're trying to knock the four-five hour ones out," Pride Sr. said of schools within driving distance.

A future visit to Miami is on the agenda. Because his father played running back at Jackson State, Pride said he leans on him for advice.

"Everything I've done, he's done and he's probably done better," Pride Jr. said. "I'm pretty sure he'll never tell me to do something he's never done before."

A school with a family first atmosphere will find favor with Pride.

"I really want the coaches to treat me like family, not just like a another player on the roster," he said

The elder Pride said his son's college decision will be solely up to his son.

"I told him I'm going to have fun tailgating regardless wherever you go," Pride Sr. said.

Pride, who has a 3.0 grade-point average, is looking to major architectural design.

"When I was younger, I use to like Legos and I use to build stuff all the time," Pride said.

He's also gotten the urge to go into the field after shadowing his father, who builds and sells home.

"We rehab them, sometimes we knock them down and build them all the way up," Pride Sr. said. "He's always been with me since he was probably in the second grade doing clean outs and building."

The Hogs are expected to host at least four other St. Louis area prospects with offers from the Razorbacks on Saturday, including sophomore athlete Isaac Thompson, 6-1, 192, of St. Louis University High School, junior defensive back Tyler Hibbler, 5-11, 185, and junior receiver Demetrius Cannon, 6-3, 180, of St. Louis Trinity Catholic along with junior receiver Keontez Lewis, 6-2, 180, of East St. Louis.

Email Richard Davenport atrdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 01/31/2020