Arkansas coach Sam Pittman’s history as an offensive line coach resonates with massive junior 4-star offensive lineman Jac’Qawn McRoy, who has visited the Razorbacks twice.
McRoy, 6-8, 350 pounds, of Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville, is easily one of the three or four largest prospects to visit Arkansas in the last 15 years, and he could very well be the largest.
McRoy visited Fayetteville in June and again for the Alabama game on Oct. 1, when Arkansas hosted approximately 90 recruits. He said Pittman made him feel special before kickoff by spending time with him.
“Coach Pittman was an O-line coach, so we have that connection,” McRoy said. “I say me and him, we have a real good connection. … There were a lot of big recruits there and I clearly saw him separate me from all the others and made me feel important.
"That’s his cup of tea, the offensive line."
He also said he believes he fits what Pittman is looking for in an offensive tackle.
“I’m literally like the same size of all the other offensive lineman he has there as far as tackles,” McRoy said. “He was like, he wants me there, come there and produce – and possibly be a first-rounder.”
McRoy, who has a 3.3 grade point average and is leaning toward majoring in business in college, has also visited Kentucky, Alabama and Auburn this fall.
He received a scholarship offer from Arkansas during his first visit. He also has offers from Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky and other schools.
Hearing the Hog Call for the first time during the Alabama game baffled him.
“They had me confused,” McRoy said. “They were doing some call of the Hogs or something. They were like, ‘Call the Hogs.’ I was like, ‘Who?’”
He caught on later during the game after hearing the Hog Call several times.
“Yeah, every big play they would do it,” McRoy said.
He also said Arkansas is in good shape with him.
“They were already kind of at the top, mainly because of Coach Pitt, for real,” McRoy said. “Since he’s really the only O-line coach that’s a head coach, he automatically gets a spot up on my chart.”
He said he regularly talks to Pittman and special teams coordinator Scott Fountain.
“It’s about every day, for real. It's about three or four times a week,” McRoy said.
McRoy also talks to former Auburn and Colorado tight end and now Razorback graduate assistant Jalen Harris, a native of Montgomery, Ala.
“Me and him have a great relationship. He’s like a big bro to me because he’s so young,” McRoy said.
McRoy said he will probably visit the Razorbacks again for a junior prospect day. He said Pittman and Arkansas fans help the Razorbacks stand out.
“It’s the little stuff that makes places different,” McRoy said. “Coach Pitt, the fan base is so strong because there’s not nothing else in Arkansas but the football [team]. There’s no NFL team or nothing.
"It’s like everybody is going to be there and all the games are going to be packed – even the sorry games."
When he does return to Fayetteville for a visit, he said he will likely be accompanied by his beloved eight-year-old sister, Rosa, who was with him during the first two trips.
“We have different dads, but I still love her as if we had the same one. She is very goofy,” said McRoy, who calls his sister his little angel.