Arkansas was more than sophomore linebacker Noah Mikhail imagined it would be after his unofficial visit to Fayetteville on Tuesday.
“It was a great, great experience,” said Mikhail, who arrived about 10:30 a.m. for the visit. “I really had a lot of fun on this visit. It was more than I imagined it would be. The whole staff was great. They’re all genuine, authentic, nice people.
"I really loved the whole experience of it all.”
Mikhail, 6-3, 205 pounds, of La Verne, (Calif.) Bonita, visited Oklahoma on Monday before making his way to Arkansas.
The Razorbacks, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Oregon, Texas A&M, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, California are a few of his 18 offers. He seemed taken aback by Arkansas' program.
“It was, like, everything was great,” Mikhail said. “There was no downside about anything.”
His cousin, Kylie Harris, who will be a senior this fall at Arkansas, traveled to Fayetteville from Texas with her mother so they could visit with Mikhail and his parents.
“I think it helped a little bit because it kind of broke the ice,” Mikhail said.
Reynolds Razorback Stadium and sitting in team meetings highlighted the trip.
“I would have to say the highlight was probably getting to see the field or sitting in the defensive meeting and team meeting,” he said. “Those were two pretty cool things.
“The stadium was just unbelievable. It was a sight to see. It was a beautiful stadium. The meetings really showed me how everything goes down there and how things are ran. I really liked the way everything happened.”
Mikhail was a standout for the 9-3 Bearcats last year. He had 75 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry, 2 interceptions, 1 pass deflection and returned 2 of 3 recovered fumbles for a touchdown. He also blocked a punt and recovered it for a score.
He had 23 receptions for 272 yards and 4 touchdowns as a receiver.
Mikhail also plans to make a trip to Tennessee and potentially Georgia after visiting Arkansas. A trip to Southern Cal is planned for Saturday.
He enjoyed hanging out with Razorbacks linebackers coach Michael Scherer and assistant linebackers coach/defensive analyst Jake Trump.
“He was a great coach,” Mikhail said of Scherer. “Real genuine, real nice guy and him and Trump are just like...I think they make a really great duo as linebacker coaches.”