It was pretty much a no-brainer for Davion Dozier when it came down to choosing to play football or basketball at the collegiate level, particularly since he’d made his mark as one of the nation’s premier high school wide receivers inside Bill Morris Stadium in Moody, Ala.
Still, even after he’d signed his national letter of intent to play for Coach Sam Pittman at the University of Arkansas, there was still a moment or two where the 6-4, 195-pound athlete found himself wondering what it’d be like had he decided to bounce a ball on a basketball court in college instead of catching one on a football field.
“A lot of people don’t know it, but I love to hoop,” Dozier said. “I played basketball in high school, too, and [playing in college] crossed my mind a little bit. But I’ve always wanted to play football, so I didn’t really push for basketball as much.”
If his sterling career at Moody was any indication, the 4-star standout will be pushing for substantial playing time for the Razorbacks as a true freshman.
In his final two high school seasons, Dozier combined to catch 110 passes for 2,158 yards and 31 touchdowns for the Blue Devils, who went 16-6 during that time. He averaged a whopping 19.6 yards per catch and essentially proved to be a big-play threat whenever he got the ball in his hands.
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That’s one of the reasons why a slew of other Power 5 schools like Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland South Carolina and Tennessee were vying for Dozier’s services.
However, it was the relationship he established with Pittman and his staff that ultimately led him to sign with Arkansas during the early signing period in December after committing to the Razorbacks five months prior.
“Arkansas was the one school that stayed in touch with me throughout my whole recruitment,” Dozier said. “So I felt like I was most wanted here than anywhere else. Me and receivers coach [Kenny Guilton] connected a lot more than I did with anybody else, too. That kind of pushed me even more toward them.
“And then, when I came up on my official visit, it basically locked me in because I was with some of the guys on the team. That just made me want to come here even more.”
The addition of Dozier should give Arkansas added depth and size at the position. The Razorbacks did lose their top two receivers from last season in Jadon Haselwood and Matt Landers, who teamed to haul in 106 passes for 1,603 yards and 11 touchdowns, and have only one player back from 2022 — running back Raheim Sanders — who had at least 20 receptions.
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That means there will be an opportunity for Dozier to burst through that receiver door in his first year with the team, and according to him, he’s trending in the right direction.
“Things have gone well, but it’s a lot different from high school,” he said. “It’s been smooth, hasn’t been too hard. Really, the thing that I’ve had to get used to is my time because I don’t have a lot of time to do a lot of other stuff. We have to really manage our time a lot better.
“And with the competition, you have to work way harder than what you did in high school, but I was already anticipating that. The coaches were telling me about that aspect of it anyway.”
Dozier found out quickly just how much work he has to put in with the Razorbacks. Oftentimes, he was the most talented player on the field while at Moody, but he sees that in bunches when he’s on the practice field at Arkansas. He also pointed out that the staff as a whole shares the same sentiments as players when it comes to being at the top of their games.
For Dozier, it’s a simple explanation for how Pittman and his staff relay that message.
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“They want to make us better,” he said of the Razorback coaches. “Their whole job is to push us to make us be the best that we can be. Honestly, that’s what I love about them, even during workouts. Some days, they be killing me, and other days, I’m fine.
“But throughout the week, I’m good, and it’s nothing that I can’t handle. They push you to be better.”
Dozier always mentioned that he understands that being better in the SEC rings loudly nationwide. There’s a number of wide receivers from the conference who will be on NFL rosters this fall, including former Razorback Treylon Burks.
However, Dozier said his short-term goal is to do everything he can to make a difference for Arkansas.
“I’m just trying to work hard and get in the rotation,” he said. “We’ll see where it goes from there, but I’m ready to do whatever the team needs me to do.”