The Recruiting Guy

Georgia LB picturing future at Arkansas

University of Arkansas junior linebacker target Everett Roussaw, Jr. will be making his second trip to Fayetteville for Saturday’s prospect day.

Roussaw, 6-2, 205, of Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove, earned a scholarship offer from the Razorbacks after attending a June camp last summer. He also has offers from Missouri, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Central Florida, Coastal Carolina and Charlotte.

He and his father were supposed to visit for the Mississippi State game on Nov. 6, but their flight was cancelled.

Looking beyond football, Roussaw wants to see how Arkansas could benefit him after his playing days.

“I want to learn more about the campus and how it could benefit me in ways other than football, and also how could it set me up for life outside of football,” he said.

The thriving Northwest Arkansas economy and the Sam M. Walton School of Business could aid in the recruitment of Roussaw.

“The opportunities it can create for life outside of football, how can it set me up after my dream of the NFL, and I want to major in business management,” said Roussaw, who has a 3.2 grade point average. “How do the classes set me up to where I can have a good degree?”

Roussaw is also looking forward to getting to know Sam Pittman and the Arkansas staff better. The Razorbacks’ facilities and time spent with linebackers coach Michael Scherer and running backs coach Jimmy Smith stood out during his June trip to Fayetteville.

“Coach Scherer reaches out a lot and we’ve built a relationship since the first time we ever talked, and Coach Smith always leads me in the right direction and keeps it real with me,” Roussaw said.

Smith is highly respected at Cedar Grove, where he led the Saints to the school’s first Class AAA state championships in school history in 2016 and 2018 before joining the Georgia State staff in 2019.

He also led the school to the state semifinals in 2015 and 2017. Roussaw trusts Smith would look out for him should he be a Razorback.

“It’s very big just knowing if I decide to go there I will be in great hands,” Roussaw said.

With the Razorbacks fresh off of a 9-4 season and a victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl, Scherer talks up the progress of the program.

“He just tells me how good of a program Coach Pittman is building,” Roussaw said.

His teammate, running back Rashod Dubinion, is an early enrollee at Arkansas and is in Roussaw’s ear about being a Razorback.

“He’s telling me to join the family,” he said.

Roussaw had 95 tackles, 4 interceptions and 4 recovered fumbles, including 1 scoop and score, as a junior while helping Cedar Grove to its fourth class AAA state title.

His father was unable to join him on the first visit to Fayetteville.

“He wants to be able to see my future at Arkansas, because we don’t like moving around, so when we’re there we want to be locked in and not leaving,” Roussaw said of his father.