FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas 2022 offensive line commit Eli Henderson of Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes gave his pledge to the Razorbacks on Aug. 10, 2020, despite having never set foot on campus.
But after he and his family spent four days in Fayetteville last week, Henderson gave his heart to the school and the area.
“I had an idea of what to expect from seeing things virtually, but it still blew me away,” Henderson said. “I loved it and my family loved it. My mother had a ball up there. They showed her a great time and she loved everybody and we all got along really well.
“We went out a couple of nights while we were there and everybody was just so kind and really accepting. I talked to as many people as I could to ask them about the area and I literally heard nothing bad at all.
“We tried to look for a piece of trash of the ground, but we couldn’t find one. It was amazing how clean it was. It was awesome.”
Henderson (6-4, 305 pounds), who chose the Razorbacks over Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Arizona State and Louisville, was emotional walking into Reynolds Razorback Stadium with Arkansas coach Sam Pittman.
“The Zoom and online stuff doesn’t do it justice,” Henderson said. “I have to tell you that when I first walked into the stadium with Coach Pittman by my side, I almost teared up a bit, because you don’t get the full impact until you are actually there.”
Henderson has talked plenty of his desire to play for Pittman.
“He is a genuine guy in a very non-genuine profession,” Henderson said. “You don’t see that much. He is a very special guy in a very special city.
“I think the state of Arkansas and the city of Fayetteville really match him well, as do the people he has around him and the people he has behind him.
“When you have got somebody that is that genuine and you know what their character is, it makes you want to play hard for them.
“Everyone there loves him and it’s not just because he is the head coach and they are not just saying it, you can see that everyone actually does love the guy.”
Henderson saw Pittman jump in to teach kids at camps while he was in Fayetteville.
“I love the way he is,” Henderson said. “A lot of coaches just walk around trying to look pretty, but he jumps right in and tries to teach. He is out there in the trenches, talking and teaching and trying to get his guys better. I am excited — really excited.
“The staff up there is second to none. It is all about you and all about your family. It is not just a script-based thing or a show they try to put on. I really appreciated that.”
That includes Arkansas offensive line coach Cody Kennedy.
“Coach Kennedy is a great coach,” Henderson said. “I have all the faith in the world in him. I got a chance to sit down and watch some film with him and we chopped it up a little bit and I got a chance to pick his brain. That’s my guy.
“But I want to say that whoever Coach Pittman puts in front of me, I will go to battle for them. I look at it as I am excited to go to battle with the two best offensive line coaches in the country.”
Eli might not be the only Henderson moving to Fayetteville.
“My dad was joking —maybe he wasn’t joking — and is talking about moving out there when I do because it is just such an amazing place,” he said.