Arkansas has landed a great linebacker prospect, according to an opposing head coach who saw him up close the past few seasons.
Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County standout Christopher Paul, Jr., (6-1, 225) signed with the Razorbacks in December, enrolled at Arkansas in January and is going through offseason workouts with the program.
Former Cedar Grove coach Miguel Patrick, who recently took over the Crisp County program, was thoroughly impressed with Paul, a thee-star prospect who had 91 tackles last season, including 20 for lost yardage.
“Man, Chris Paul was one of those guys that we had to really prepare for when playing because he was all over the field making plays in the running game and the passing game,” Patrick said. “He is very, very physical at the point of attack, a great tackler and you could tell he has a great knack for the football, great instincts at the linebacker spot."
Former Cedar Grove coach and current Arkansas running backs coach Jimmy Smith recruited both Paul and recent Razorback athlete pledge Rashod Dubinion (5-10, 180, 4.3 40-yard dash) of Cedar Grove.
Paul, who had 157 tackles as a junior, chose Arkansas over Tennessee, Nebraska, Louisville and other schools.
“I am excited for (Paul) to be out there,” Patrick said. “That means I will have two guys out there. Really, three with Coach Smith, and who knows there may be more.”
Smith is also recruiting another trio of Cedar Grove standouts in defensive end Joshua White (6-5, 260), wide receiver wide receiver Janiran Bonner (6-3, 200) and defensive tackle Christen Miller (6-5, 285).
The Saints quartet are all four-star prospects and ranked in either 247 Sports' or Rivals’ top 225 players nationally. White has Arkansas in his top six.
That made it tough for Patrick, whose team won the 2019 state title and was eliminated by Crisp County 16-13 in the 2020 playoffs, to leave Cedar Grove, which Smith led to state titles in 2016 and 2018.
“I just recently took the job at Crisp County and it is just a different opportunity for me in a community that is really dialed into football and making sure the kids have all they need to succeed,” Patrick said. “I think it is going to be a great transition. They have always been competitive. We were fortunate to have beaten them in the Final Four and in a state championship game in the past.
“I think it is going to be a great opportunity for me to grow as a head coach and for the community to grow.”