The Recruiting Guy

Alabama safety recruit likes to tackle

Razorbacks cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman leads a practice, Sunday, August 7, 2022 during a football practice at University of Arkansas practice football field in Fayetteville.

University of Arkansas cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman didn’t beat around the bush when he extended a scholarship offer to junior safety Keion Dunlap.

“Coach Bowman and I’ve been talking lately, just talking, just chatting it up,” said Dunlap, who received his Arkansas offer on Sept. 28. “He’s a pretty chilled dude. When he text me he was just straight up. The first thing he texted was, ‘I want to offer you.’ So I was like, ‘OK,’ and then we got on the phone and started talking We were just talking about my position. How much I like football. My family and all that.”

Dunlap, 6-0, 195 pounds, of Enterprise, Ala., has 10 scholarship offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Penn State, Ole Miss, Central Florida, Maryland and others. He’s looking to visit Fayetteville after his season is completed.

“I’m thinking about setting up a date with him to get up there for a visit,” Dunlap said.

The Hogs have a history of recruiting Alabama with success and currently have three commitments from state in the 2023 class with being defensive backs Dallas Young and TJ Metcalf, along with receiver Davion Dozier.

He also runs track and helped the Wildcats to the school’s first Class 7A basketball state championship last year as a sophomore after averaging 5.2 points a game and 2.4 rebounds.

His video shows speed, suddenness and physicality. Dunlap recorded 29 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups and 2 interceptions as a sophomore.

He had 34 tackles, including a sack, going into’s Friday’s game for Enterprise, a town of about 29,000, approximately 90 miles southeast of Montgomery.

Because of his size and athleticism, some schools have asked his interest in playing an outside linebacker-safety type position.

Dunlap, who has a 3.8 grade-point average and is considering sports medicine as a major, said he’s evolved into being a physical safety.

“Last year was my first time playing defense, first time playing safety,” he said. “Tackling wasn’t really my thing. I was more of a cover type of guy. Then this year I was like, ‘OK, I know I can cover, other coaches know I can cover and now I want to be able to hit be able to tackle. Go down make the tackle and hit somebody and make it be known I’m hitting and make them feel me’.”

He said he grew up watching Alabama and Alabama and is in the process of learning about more about Arkansas. Dunlap said he communicates with Bowman about twice a week and that has led to him having a good connection with the Razorback assistant.

“It’s a good little vibe with him,” Dunlap said. “He was saying he was going to give me an opportunity to play and make me better. He told me the way I play, would fit the defensive style they play.”