Having a family member attending Arkansas has motivated sophomore linebacker Noah Mikhail to visit the Razorbacks on Tuesday.
Mikhail, 6-3, 205 pounds, of La Verne, (Calif.) Bonita, already has 18 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Southern Cal, Oregon, Texas A&M, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, California and others early in the process.
His cousin, Kylie Harris, and her fiancé, Brock Yeager, graduated from Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas, before making their way to Arkansas, where they will be seniors this fall. Mikhail said both talk up the people, Fayetteville and the school.
“I obviously have my cousin down there and her fiancé is down there and ever since the recruiting picked up they’ve always been big fans of how beautiful Fayetteville is and how beautiful Arkansas is,” Mikhail said. “That’s really put a good image in my mind that’s some place I want to visit to see how the culture is there.”
As a freshman, Mikhail recorded 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 played last year alongside his brother, Kalim, who is a freshman linebacker at Houston Baptist this fall.
“I got to play with my brother and a lot of my friends that are upperclassmen,” Mikhail said. “It was a great experience.”
Mikhail and Arkansas linebackers coach Michael Scherer have been in contact. Communication is heating up more lately.
“Every chance I can, we’re talking,” Mikhail said. “We’ve been in contact a little bit more because we’re getting closer to the visit.”
Harris and her mother traveled from Texas to Fayetteville on Monday to join Mikhail and his parents for today’s visit.
He visited Oklahoma on Monday and plans to make a trip to Tennessee and possibly Georgia after visiting the Razorbacks. A trip to Southern Cal is planned for Saturday. Mikhail also has other family members in Texas.
“On my mom’s side, my mom has a few cousins that live in Houston as well,” he said.
Having a cousin attending Arkansas and other relatives in Texas is comforting should he choose the Razorbacks.
“I think that helps a lot, especially knowing that I already have people down there that love the area and I have people who are part of my family that don’t live too far away,” Mikhail said.
His parents stress excellence and that also shows up in the classroom, where he has a 4.0 grade point average.
“I’ve always been held to high standards,” said Mikhail, who is considering business or accounting as a major. “I’ve just carried that on in every aspect – do everything I can with all my heart.”