North Little Rock junior defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. (6-6, 244), Arkansas’ newest in-state prospect offer, was left speechless on Saturday.
The moment came when Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman let Rhodes know of the offer after he attended the program’s second of three Junior Days this month.
“When he told me I had the offer, I got a little teared up because I dreamed of moments like this,” Rhodes said. “I was just speechless and didn’t even know how to respond. I just felt blessed because it has been my dream school since I was a kid.
“You have a good coaching staff and Coach Pittman is changing the community as well. Just glad to be offered.”
Rhodes, who played his last two seasons at Jacksonville, is not only impressed with Arkansas’ turnaround on the field, but what he sees off of it.
“I definitely see that their program is about character and they definitely invest time in their athletes,” Rhodes said. “I want to be part of that, building a strong relationship with the coaches. They have great facilities and they play to win, they play hard and they play tough.
“They also get the players involved in the community and it is just a great, great atmosphere.”
Pittman made clear what he expects from his players off the field.
“He was basically just explaining to me that I have to be a good kid, stay out of trouble and make school a priority, get to class on time and things like that was a major part for his players,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes had been to Fayetteville for games and camps, but this was visit as a recruit.
“I am originally from Arkansas, so I used to go there when I was a kid and watch games," he said. "I have been a die-hard fan and had a great experience up there, especially with that being my dream school.”
Rhodes played his ninth grade season at North Little Rock before spending his sophomore and junior years at Jacksonville.
Rhodes had 77 tackles with 33 solo stops as a sophomore.
“I do have a height advantage over most people and have quick-twitch muscles,” Rhodes said. “I am definitely getting stronger in the weight room. I also run a 4.8 (40-yard dash) and I am pretty quick off the ball.”
He was teammates at Jacksonville with tailback/linebacker Darien Bennett (6-1, 225), who now is at Little Rock Parkview and also has 2023 offer from Arkansas.
“That man is a moving tank,” Rhodes said. “He definitely has nice vision and never goes down on first contact. He just keeps moving and is very physical.”
In addition to the offer from Arkansas, Rhodes is drawing interest from Virginia Tech, Tennessee, TCU, Florida State, Cal and Central Arkansas.
“I am really just now getting started with my recruiting, to be honest,” he said. “I have a lot of teams that seem interested.
“Me and my dad have been communicating for the last four months about it. We have been talking about where I might want to go to college. He really doesn’t want me to make a final decision until my mid-senior season or after it. I will probably just look around and we will wait to see.”
Rhodes is happy to be back at North Little Rock, which won the Class 7A state title in 2017. Bryant has since won the last four championships.
“We are going to have a solid team,” Rhodes said. “I definitely know the defense is going to be stacked. We have to focus on offense right now.
"We have a few missing spots and a few missing key players, but I definitely see us competing for the championship and taking back what is ours.”