Justin Benton, a defensive lineman who is committed to West Virginia, left his official visit to Arkansas impressed.
Despite the Razorbacks losing 21-19 to Liberty on Saturday, Benton liked what he experienced.
"Just the atmosphere before the game,” said Benton, who arrived Saturday morning and left early Monday. “Just how everybody loves Arkansas football in Arkansas. You could just tell when the players were coming onto the field. The atmosphere around the stadium, who wouldn’t want to play in that?
“Everybody loves the football team. Just the vibe from the guys on the team, everybody loves Coach (Sam) Pittman. Everybody wants to play for him, so any time the head coach can get their team riled up like that, rally and ready to play, that’s a testament of what type of person he is.”
Benton, 6-2 and 280 pounds, of Covington (Ga.) Newton, pledged to the Mountaineers in June after accumulating offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU and other schools.
He said the best part of his trip was visiting with Pittman because of "the kind of person he is."
“You can tell while sitting down and talking with him before the game how genuine he was and how genuine he felt about me as a prospect," he said. "Being a guy they’re trying to finish the 2023 class, and they thought highly enough of me to bring me on an official visit and show me Arkansas, and show me what they have to offer.”
A consensus 3-star recruit, Benton received an Arkansas offer Oct. 25. Texas followed with an offer three days later.
Benton was named Freshman of the Year by one publication after recording 76 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 9 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. He has 42 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in the first 8 games this season. He played his junior season at IMG Academy in Florida.
Freshman defensive lineman JJ Holingsworth was his host for his time in Fayetteville.
“He's pretty cool and I like him,” Benton said. “He’s from Arkansas, so he loves everything about it, everything about the school. He likes the system they're running. He's ready to get on the field. He's a pretty good guy and I'm glad he's my host.”
His father, Phillip Benton, who played linebacker at Georgia in the early 1990s, and his mother accompanied him on the visit.
Benton noticed how the team respected Pittman.
“That's the testament to what kind of person he is,” Benton said. “He's going to keep it real with you. You can feel the authenticity when you talk to him. He doesn't shade you on anything. I feel like that's the best type of person you can ask for — a person that is going to keep it real with you, somebody you aren't going to have to jump to conclusions with. I love everything about him.”
It appears he will make an official visit to Texas and then make his final college decision shortly afterward.
“I'm taking an official visit to Texas then I will make my final decision,” he said. “Maybe in two weekends.”