The Recruiting Guy

Committed QB buys in to Pittman's plan

Arkansas quarterback commitment Lucas Coley rushes the ball for Judson High School as a sophomore. (Courtesy Express-News)

University of Arkansas quarterback commitment Lucas Coley pledged to the Razorbacks because of the leadership shown by Coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.

“The head of Arkansas is Coach Pittman, and my side of the ball is coach Kendal Briles, and they proved to me with the way they recruit guys they’re doing it the right way,” Coley said. “And doing it based off of how I am as a person and how I am as a player, in the classroom, off the field. They did their diligence on all of that. That’s the start of turning around a program and winning championships.”

Coley, 6-2, 205 pounds, of Cornerstone Christian in San Antonio, picked the Hogs over more than 30 scholarship offers, including Louisville, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Washington State, South Florida and others.

He and the other 10 Arkansas commitments have been talking in a group chat.

“We already have a whole group chat going,” Coley said. “We talk every single day. We add new recruits to it and kind of give them our spiel. It’s going very well, and we’re real excited about it.”

Coley threw for about 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 yards while accounting for 30 touchdowns as a junior. He committed to the Hogs without visiting with them in Fayetteville. He and his mother visited Arkansas last June when Chad Morris was the Razorbacks coach.

“I remember really nice facilities,” Coley said. “Everything was really nice. It just felt like home.”

His mother, Deborah, is pleased with her son’s decision.

“Lucas has had many conversations with current players and recruits,” she said. “And they all say nothing but great things about the staff. The players are bought in 100%.”

Coley, who has a 3.8 grade-point average while taking honor classes, plans to graduate high school early and enroll at Arkansas in January.

His mother was won over by Pittman and believes he will be well taken care of at Arkansas.

“She wants me to go to a place where she knows I’m going to develop as a man outside the game of football because you’re going to have to hang up your cleats at some point,” Coley said. “She wants me to go to a place where the man I am after football is bigger than the guy I am just when I have the helmet on.”

Cornerstone Christian Coach John Bachman said Coley is great on and off the field.

“Coaches always say this, it’s cliche, but with him it’s not: He’s a better kid than he is a football player,” Bachman said. “He’s a great football player, so that tells you what kind of kid he is and what kind of young man he’s going to be.”

Coley is a playmaker whenever he’s called to make one.

“I think he’s a throwback from the standpoint he’s able to deliver what the moment requires,” Bachman said. “That’s the thing that jumps at me the most. Everything that breaks down in a game, Lucas is able to respond with what’s needed.”

Coley played his sophomore season at Judson High School in Converse, Texas, where he threw for 198 yards, 3 touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown while also having 9 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.

“He is the leader of our team, the unquestioned leader of our team,” Bachman said. “He came over right before the season started last year, so obviously he wasn’t able to be in the running to be our captain. Let’s just say he was our captain without the ‘C’ on his chest.”

His mother is Coley’s biggest fan.

“He is such a great kid and a wonderful, compassionate young man who makes his momma incredibly proud of him,” she said.