The Recruiting Guy

Pittman impressive to 4-star Georgia D-tackle

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman during the first half of the Outback Bowl NCAA college football game against Penn State Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

FAYETTEVILLE — ESPN 4-star junior defensive tackle Kayden McDonald celebrated his birthday by visiting the University Arkansas on Saturday for Prospect Day, and it couldn’t have gone better.

Coach Sam Pittman and the staff welcomed him with open arms.

“I went into Coach Pittman’s office and he was telling me how real it is,” McDonald said. “He recruited heavily out of my school when he was at Georgia. A lot of the staff is from Georgia. From the start to the end of the day, I had a really good time.

"I’m blown away by this experience. I had a great time. It’s a blessing.”

McDonald, 6-3, 325 pounds, of Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett, has more than 30 scholarship offers from schools such as Georgia, Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Louisville, Oklahoma, Auburn, Texas A&M and Florida State.

He was impressed how Pittman spent a lot of time with him and the other prospects.

“I talked to him in his office, when we were eating, pretty much all day,” McDonald said. “It was a blessing. Coach Pittman is one of the greatest coaches. I want to go to a stable college where coaches won’t leave every year. He said he’s staying here forever until he retires.

"Coach Pittman kept it real.”

McDonald, who was born in Texarkana, Texas, has numerous friends and family members living in southwest Arkansas and Fayetteville.

His mother, Kristi Green, who is from Mineral Springs, accompanied him on the trip and was like her son – very impressed.

“Well, Arkansas far exceeded our expectations,” said Green, who is cousins with former Razorbacks basketball player Khalil Garland’s mother. “The whole staff is amazing.”

Defensive line coach Deke Adams and assistant defensive line coach Keith Jones impressed McDonald with their up-front approach.

“They showed me what it’s about,” McDonald said. “They kept it real with me. They showed real interest in me, like they need me to compete. Coach Pittman was telling me, 'You come here and compete, you could probably be a freshman starter.'"

McDonald recorded 95 tackles, 19 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries and 3 deflected passes last year. ESPN also rates him the No. 20 defensive tackle and No. 288 overall prospect in the nation for the 2023 class.

He said the visit helped the Razorbacks in their pursuit of him.

“Definitely considering Arkansas. It’s the hometown,” McDonald said. “I definitely want to get back up here for a game to see how the atmosphere is. The way the treated me on an unofficial was amazing and I love it.”

He and his mother arrived late Friday afternoon and later went to eat at a Springdale restaurant, where Razorbacks fans recognized him.

“When I went to the restaurant, everybody showed love,” McDonald said. “It was crazy. I had a great time. It was unbelievable. They were (telling me to) commit, commit. It was a great feeling.”

McDonald has visits planned for the next few weeks.

“I’m going [to] Auburn next week, and the following week I’m going to Oklahoma, and during spring break I’m visiting Florida,” he said.