FAYETTEVILLE- Four-star junior quarterback Josh Flowers made his first trip to Arkansas for last Saturday’s prospect camp and was able to pick up a few tips from Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson.
“My experience was great,” Flowers said. “We had some of the football players out from Arkansas. Their quarterback, KJ Jefferson, was giving us little tips, and the coaches (were) telling us when to get the football out and how fast it needed to be, what type of route it is, what you’re going to be seeing, like RPOs and stuff like that.
"(They were) telling you stuff you can take back to school.”
Flowers, 6-3, 208 pounds, of Mobile (Ala.) Baker, has offers from Arkansas, Alabama and Florida, and is drawing interest from other schools. The Razorbacks extended him an offer on May 31.
On3.com rates Flowers a 4-star recruit, the No. 8 quarterback and No. 54 overall prospect in the nation in the 2024 class. He is the No. 4 recruit in Alabama.
Flowers completed 108 of 159 passes for 1,992 yards and 20 touchdowns against 2 interceptions as a sophomore. He also rushed for 859 yards and 12 touchdowns on 115 carries. He finished the season with a 145.1 quarterback rating.
Flowers enjoyed working with Jefferson and sees similarities in their games.
“I kind of see my play style as similar a little bit to him,” said Flowers, who reports running 4.85 seconds in the 40-yard dash during the camp. “He’s dual-threat runner/thrower. It was great. Unbelievable.”
Chase Calcagni, the son former Arkansas quarterback Ron Calcagni, is the offensive coordinator at Baker. He was the director of player personnel for South Alabama prior to joining the Baker staff.
He sees Flowers adding 15 to 25 pounds of weight in college.
"Amazing kid, he is super humble," said Calcagni of Flowers. "Florida offered him mid-sophomore season and he didn’t want to know about any offers until after the season to rid distractions. He reminds me a ton of Dak Prescott in his junior and senior years at Mississippi State.
"His in game decision making, accuracy, pocket presence and awareness are remarkable. And to top it off, he has freaky arm talent and runs the football like a DI running back."
Flowers was a starter on the Hornets' basketball team that finished the season at 34-1 and made it to the Class 7A semifinals.
Calcagni accompanied Flowers on his visit to Arkansas. Flowers traveled to Alabama on Monday for a camp.
“I have an LSU camp coming up,” Flowers said. “I also have a Florida camp coming up. I’m just staying busy, trying to get myself higher on the recruiting board.”
The visit to Fayetteville impressed.
“I like the stadium. They have a good weight room,” Flowers said. “I like the indoor facility. The fields outside are great. It’s beautiful. I kind of like everything they have.”
He clicked well with Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and saw an offense he’s familiar with.
“I love Coach Briles,” Flowers said. “We actually almost run the same offense as Arkansas, so I see myself as a good fit for here. The quarterback is the same play style as me and Coach Briles is a great guy and he’s a great coach.”
Flowers is ready to visit Arkansas again.
“I’m going to try as soon as possible,” he said.
It is early in the recruiting process, but, overall, Flowers liked what he experienced at Arkansas.
“They’re high on the board,” Flowers said of the Razorbacks.