The Recruiting Guy

Chance Moore's mother wowed by Northwest Arkansas

Julie and Eddie Fincher enjoy the view from Yellow Rock Trail at Devil’s Den State Park.

A weekend trip to Northwest Arkansas has reassured Julie Fincher, the mother of Arkansas commitment Chance Moore, of her son’s college decision.

Moore and his father, John, visited Fayetteville on Aug. 8 and he committed a few hours after arriving despite not being able to interact with coaches or tour the facilities and campus with the staff due to the NCAA dead period.

Fincher and her husband, Eddie, visited Fayetteville and the surrounding area for the first time Friday through Sunday with the same restrictions.

Their itinerary was mapped out thanks to the Arkansas fan base offering suggestions on Twitter.

“We read some of the things that they had suggested and kind of went with that,” Julie Fincher said. “The suggestions that were made turned out to be things we really enjoyed.”

One of the first stops on Friday was to Herman’s Ribhouse.

“We really enjoyed that,” Julie Fincher said. “The owners were really nice and found that to be a real treat, so it kind of reminded us of our southern roots.”

Next up was to see the campus, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the Jerry and Gene Jones academic center and other buildings.

“We got out and walked some around Bud Walton Arena,” she said.

The campus tour was a treat for Eddie, who has watched the movie Greater about the late Brandon Burlsworth.

“I looked at that stadium and thought about his story. That was really neat,” he said. “I was really inspired by all of that.”

The Finchers were able to buy some Razorbacks gear to take back home to Chance and other family members.

Avid hikers, the Finchers took in another suggestion by Arkansas fans and experienced Yellow Rock Trail at Devil’s Den State Park while meeting people from other parts of the country on Saturday.

“We ran into a lot of people and the people were very nice on the trail,” Eddie Fincher said. “We had a chance to have conversations. They didn't know us from anyone else, but the overall attitude of the people was very nice. We took a lot of different pictures.”

While at the peak of the trail, Eddie said some Arkansas fans tried to teach them to call the Hogs.

The friendliness of the people of Arkansas was one of the main things that impressed Chance and his father during their August trip. The Fincher’s also enjoyed the hospitality of the Natural State.

“They didn't know who we were, they didn't know what our story was,” Eddie Fincher said. "It was just good to get out there and see how people treat you. Even the restaurants we had gone to, just the overall attitude of everyone there just made it a very good time.”

While at a local eatery, Julie and Eddie made quick friends with a local couple and plans were made for when they return for a future trip.

“Eddie has a date the next time when we come back,” Julie Fincher said. “The gentleman goes trout fishing, so he’s going to take Eddie trout fishing whenever we come back. That’s interesting. He’s never done that before. They were telling us about some other places that we can visit as well where they said you can see some actual elk walking around.”

The natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas was a treat for them both.

“Just seeing all the green space,” Eddie said. “You see all the trees and nature’s best. We enjoy living here in Atlanta, but going somewhere you can see all the different trees and places with miles and miles of that, that was great.”

Eddie said his and Julie’s visit surpassed their expectations even after hearing Chance and his father rave about their Arkansas trip.

“It was even greater,” Eddie said. “It just went a little bit higher.”

Another suggestion from fans was one of the bright spots for Julie.

“One of my highlights was the Crystal Bridges museum,” she said. “They had a good variety of art in the museum.”

The Bachman-Wilson House, a structure commissioned in 1954 in Somerset County, N.J., by world-famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, impressed them. The home was taken apart and moved to the Crystal Bridges grounds, where it was reconstructed in 2015.

“We weren’t able to go inside because of the covid restrictions right now,” Julie said.

Before boarding their flight back home, she tweeted thanks to the fans for the suggestions and said Arkansas was mother approved.

“I think he can come and get what he came to get, which is of course a quality education and contribute as a student-athlete to the university,” she said.