The Recruiting Guy

4-star TE looks forward to clearance for visit

Jon Cooper, an assistant coach with the University of Arkansas football team, speaks with members of the media Thursday, February 6, 2020, inside the Fred W. Smith Football Center on the campus in Fayetteville. Ten football assistants participated in the interview process. Check out nwaonline.com/200207Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery.

Tight end Jasper Lott is looking to make an official visit to the University of Arkansas in the fall should the NCAA lift the dead period that was announced March 13.

Lott, 6-6, 250 pounds, of Argyle, Texas, has 19 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, TCU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Virginia, Colorado, Minnesota and others.

He's been talking to tight ends coach Jon Cooper and had planned to make an unofficial trip to Fayetteville before the coronavirus pandemic forced the NCAA to enact the dead period that forbids on-campus visits for prospects.

"I've been talking to Coach Cooper a lot," Lott said. "Just learning about the place. I would've came up there in the spring, but obviously all that got canceled. I'm going to go up for an official probably this fall."

Lott relates with Cooper.

"He seems like a good guy," Lott said. "Kind of a laid-back guy. I like him a lot. We get along."

Location and Arkansas' stature entice Lott.

"I like that's it's a program that's kind of on the come up," he said. "They're going to be a rebuild kind of, so I kind of like that. Join something that isn't always like the top school, but I feel like they have the potential to be a pretty good program."

National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network rates Lott a 4-star prospect.

"Big kid, very good athlete, strong hands and deceptive speed," Lemming said. "One of the better tight ends in the country."

Cooper reminds Lott of Arkansas' strong tight end tradition, which has produced John Mackey Award winners in Hunter Henry and D.J. Williams.

"They've had a history of tight ends to come out the last six years," Lott said. "They've had six tight ends go to the combine."

He has three other schools in mind for official visits in the fall.

"I think TCU, Auburn, obviously Arkansas," Lott said. "I'm still kind of coming up with the other ones. I think Ole Miss will be one. I don't know the fifth one yet, but I think these are the four so far that I have."

Lott, who has a 3.4 grade-point average, plans to major in business. Cooper has educated him about the strong reputation of the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

"That's one of the things that I'm looking for, too, is the education," Lott said.

Wanting to major in business is natural for Lott.

"We have a lot of family businesses that we run," he said. "I just want to learn about that. I can do a lot with that. I feel like it's a broad category."

His father John Lott was an All-America offensive lineman at North Texas before playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1987, and being invited to the New York Jets' training camp in 1988.

A 21-year veteran strength and conditioning coach in college and the NFL, Lott's currently the head strength and conditioning coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. He's also served as the spotter at the NFL combine in the bench press for 16 years.

Jasper Lott, who has a 315-pound bench press, has a best of 14 reps of 225 pounds on the lift. He said his father's background is helpful.

"It's pretty cool," said Lott, who played his sophomore season at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. "I'm trying to continue that in the family. He's been able to guide me as far as recruiting and all that."