University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman has the Hogs back in Florida looking for future Razorbacks, and highly regarded cornerback Ricardo Hallman is high on the wish list.
Hallman, 6-0, 180 pounds, of Fort Lauderdale University, has 17 scholarship offers, including Arkansas, Wisconsin, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Baylor, Penn State and Louisville.
His communication with Pittman, defensive coordinator Barry Odom and cornerbacks coach Sam Carter has him highly interested.
“I’ve been able to build a great relationship with Coach Carter and the whole coaching staff really,” Hallman said. “Coach Pittman, Coach Odom guys like that, I was able have a virtual tour with them. It went great. The facilities at Arkansas are amazing. The school, just showing me the academic portion of it. Showing me the great people and the great staff they have.
“They’re definitely one of the schools I’m seriously considering.”
When Carter extended an offer to Hallman on April 16, he assured him the Hogs were serious about getting him to Fayetteville.
“Coach Carter is my guy,” Hallman said. “Me and Coach Carter talk about everyday. When Coach Carter offered me, he told me from the jump that this wasn’t like a play-around offer He was really serious about me and wanted to make this work and from that day coach Carter has been amazing.
“We talk a lot. He built a relationship with my family, my mom, my dad.”
CBS Sports Network national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming knows Hallman well and rates him a 3-star plus prospect.
“I’ve seen him since his freshman year since I have the players meet me at University High School football field every year,” Lemming said. “He’s a terrific cover corner. Very good speed and overall athletic ability. Loose hips smooth in transition and excels when the ball is in the air. He has four-star potential.”
Hallman, who has 3.8 grade-point average, was also impressed with Arkansas’ academics during the virtual tour.
“I’m big on academics because I pride myself in being more than an athlete,” Hallman said. “I’m a student first, obviously, so just seeing how seriously they take academics over there and honestly just the coaching staff they’re just a bunch of great people with a lot of experience.”
Hallman’s interested in becoming an entrepreneur or getting into sports management. The coaches have informed him of a new construction project on campus.
“They actually told me how they’re building a whole new entrepreneurship building,” Hallman said. “If I was to go there it would be in 2021, so yeah, my first year there if I was to go there. The whole thing is dedicated to entrepreneurship and teaching students the basics.”
Hallman sees entrepreneurship as an opportunity to invest in yourself.
“It’s just cool to me because entrepreneurship it’s kind of like you’re your own boss,” Hallman said. “You work on your own time. What you own is basically 100% you, and you just invest into yourself and invest into other companies and getting more for yourself.”
He and other prospects around the country haven’t been able to visit colleges since the NCAA announced a dead period on March 13 forbidding face-to-face contact with college coaches on or off campus.
“I was planning to go up there this summer,” said Hallman of Arkansas.
Hallman also had plans to visit Wisconsin, Louisville, Miami and Penn State in the spring. He’s looking to make his college decision soon.
“I don’t think I have an exact list, but I think I have kind of an idea and an image of what I want,” Hallman said.