University of Arkansas and SEC fans know what it’s like seeing Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson plow over defenders and one of the top offensive linemen in the nation saw it firsthand during a practice.
ESPN 4-star Miles McVay, 6-6, 358 pounds, of East St. Louis (Ill.) High School, has 32 scholarship offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oregon and other programs. He and his father visited Fayetteville on Saturday.
“Watching KJ truck a linebacker was extremely impressive,” McVay said. “You should’ve seen the linebacker he folded. I wish I could’ve recorded it. The truck was so devastating even the coaches said, ‘Ooh.’
"Normally, you say something about hitting the quarterback, but there’s something about the quarterback hitting them. You don’t normally hear them yell at the quarterback for running over a linebacker.”
While Jefferson is listed at 6-3, 245, he looked comparable in height when he and McVay took a picture together.
“He’s humongous," McVay said.
Another highlight was spending about an hour in Coach Sam Pittman’s office.
“We talked about his philosophy for coaching,” McVay said. “How he likes to run his team. We also talked about his background and how he was an O-line coach, a lot of the stuff at Arkansas is molded around the offensive line and how to develop them, so that was kind of a highlight.”
ESPN rates McVay a 4-star prospect, the No. 16 offensive tackle and No. 133 overall prospect in the nation for the 2023 class. He liked what he saw of offensive line coach Cody Kennedy’s teaching.
“They work on a lot of stuff that translates to the game,” McVay said. “They focused on certain techniques they use in a game. A lot of stuff was working to get the O-line better and that was really nice to see as an offensive lineman.”
Arkansas recently announced the hiring of former Illinois defensive back Terry Hawthorne as a quality control analyst on defense. Hawthorne is an East St. Louis graduate which helped McVay’s desire to visit the Razorbacks.
“I came in with an open mind and I was actually surprised I enjoyed my time down here because when you think of Arkansas you think of … or at least when I think of Arkansas, I think of the middle of nowhere,” McVay said. “Now that I actually came down to check it out, I really liked it.”
McVay said his trip to Fayetteville helped elevate the Razorbacks on his list.
“I would say they made the top 12,” he said. “I really like the school.”
It appears another visit to Arkansas is likely.
“There’s a good chance,” McVay said. “I’m pretty sure. I really enjoyed my time. All the coaches made it a really enjoyable experience, so I think it’s a high possibility I come back.”
McVay has a 3.7 grade-point average while taking advanced placement classes. He’s interested in sports broadcasting after his playing days are over because of watching former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current television color commentator Tony Romo.
“I kind of like how he breaks down the game even though sometimes he might not be right but the way he breaks it down he convinces you he will be right,” McVay said. “My mom always told me I’m a well-spoken person.
"Why not do something I can speak on and speak about something I like to watch and I know a little bit about?"