When highly sought-after tight end Luke Hasz publicly pledged to the University of Arkansas on Jan. 22, three of the most important women in his life were thrilled he chose to be a Razorback.
Hasz’s sister, Jenna Hasz Swindell, said she would’ve supported her younger brother regardless of his decision, but the Arkansas graduate was emotional when he sent a text saying he was about to commit to her beloved Hogs.
“I didn’t believe him because it was too good to be true,” Hasz Swindell said. “It brought tears to my eyes. I was so excited.”
Hasz, 6-4, 221 pounds, of Bixby, Okla., picked the Razorbacks over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Florida State, Southern Cal, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and others. He committed to the Sooners in August and reopened his recruitment on Dec. 4.
Hasz Swindell graduated from the UA in December 2020 and moved to Washington, D.C. to work for a congressman. She now works for the federal government in Pensacola, Fla.
Her aunt, Jennifer Fargo Rouse, graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in science and education from the UA.
“It’s very heartwarming to get to carry on this tradition that I like to say I started, but technically my aunt started it,” Hasz Swindell said of her brother’s commitment. “It feels great because it’s truly a home away from home, and they’re some of the nicest people in world you’re ever going to meet. The best fans, the best community and the best atmosphere.”
Fargo Rouse, who visited four schools before deciding on Arkansas, said she believes her nephew made an excellent choice.
“Some people go to college and like this part of it, but not this,” Fargo Rouse said. “I can honestly say I went to college to Fayetteville coming from Muskogee, Okla., and I loved every single moment of being there. It was the best four years of my life. It was great.”
She recalls a welcoming atmosphere when visiting the Arkansas campus when trying decide where to attend college.
“It’s just a real friendly place that feels like family and friends,” Fargo Rouse said. “Everybody from the registrar office, to the cafeteria people, to athletics. Everybody I ran into when I visited was just super friendly, super down-to-earth. It just feels different over there.”
Hasz’s mother, Stacy Fargo Hasz, played tennis at Tulsa and Northeastern (Okla.) State University, while her husband Darren played football for the Hurricanes and in his sophomore season helped Tulsa to a 28-17 victory over San Diego State in the 1991 Freedom Bowl.
Stacy was teaching and coaching girl’s basketball and tennis at Tulsa Union when her sister attended Arkansas. She and Hasz Swindell would often visit Fargo Rouse in Fayetteville.
“That’s where we went to visit with her and Jenna was a baby, so Jenna spent her whole life thinking she was a Razorback,” Stacy said.
It was a given that Hasz Swindell would follow in her aunt’s footsteps to Fayetteville.
“There’s pictures of me when I can’t even walk and I’m on campus,” Hasz Swindell said of her first visits as an infant. “My mom tried to get me to apply to Oklahoma schools just in case … but I was going to Arkansas.”
Sports have been a way of life for the family. Stacy and Fargo Rouse’s father Wilson Fargo coached girl’s basketball for about 20 years at Tahlequah and Hilldale.
Stacy’s love for Arkansas began when she and her father visited Fayetteville to see her sister and watched Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson and the Hogs play Kentucky in the late 1990s.
“I try to explain to people around here, you get the big university feel but I’ve never been there when the people aren’t friendly,” Stacy said. “It’s very genuine. People are warm. You literally feel like it’s home away from home but you’re at a big SEC school. To me, it’s the best of both worlds.”
Hasz, his mother, father and twin brother Dylan, who’s also being recruited by Arkansas, visited the Hogs on Jan. 15. During a meeting with Coach Sam Pittman, Hasz said he wanted to be a Razorback.
“Pretty much at that table is where it all went down,” Stacy said. “I remember he looked across the table from me and kind of mouthed the words, ‘I’m going to do it.’ ”
Hasz waited to go public with his commitment until he visited Fayetteville the following Saturday so he could do so in front of other visiting prospects and parents in the team meeting room.
Hasz Swindell’s father FaceTimed her so she could see her brother publicly announce his pledge, but she and her husband were on the outskirts of Pensacola visiting friends and cell phone reception was poor.
“I was like. ‘I have to watch this, I have to watch this,’ ” Hasz Swindell said “He [her husband] hoped into the car with me and we drove towards town. I was like, ‘I’m not going to miss this moment.’
“I got to virtually call the Hogs with him and Coach Pittman when he committed. It brought tears to my eyes because I’m excited to share this bond with him.”
Hasz Swindell also said she is excited for her brother and what he’s about to experience in Fayetteville.
“I know what’s in store for him,” Hasz Swindell said “Some of my best moments and best memories and friendships happened in college in Fayetteville and Arkansas. The people there are just truly incredible.”
One of Hasz Swindell’s biggest days included the Razorbacks.
“I got married last October and right after I cut my cake, we all called the Hogs,” Hasz Swindell said.
Her husband is from Oklahoma, but has learned to like the Hogs.
“He loves them but honestly he has to love them because he married an Arkansas grad,” Hasz Swindell said
Numerous college friends made sure to attend her wedding.
“It’s just those type of people that no matter where you are in life, they’re always going to be there for you,” Hasz Swindell said
Luke and his family first attended a Razorback football game in 2016 and the following season, Stacy got season tickets. She added season tickets for basketball two years ago.
Stacy said the process leading up to Luke’s commitment was a long journey but fan base, the atmosphere around the school along with the success of the athletic program helped make the Hogs enticing.
“How many places can you go where what is going on right now?, between football and Coach Pittman’s staff, basketball with [Eric] Musselman’s staff and even throw in baseball,” Stacy said. “It is really unique and I think they’re all feeding off of each other. It just breeds more success.”
While she, her sister and daughter were hoping Luke would be a Razorback, Stacy said credit should go to Pittman, tight ends coach Dowell Loggains and staff for securing her son’s commitment.
“I wish I could say Luke chose Arkansas because we love it but at the end of the day that all goes back on Coach Pittman and that staff,” Stacy said.
Jennifer Fargo Rouse
Jenna Hasz Swindell
Jenna Hasz Swindell (left) and Stacy Fargo Hasz
Jenna Hasz Swindell (left) and Jennifer Fargo Rouse