Oregon receiver transfer Dont’e Thornton got a taste of the Arkansas fan base during his official visit by attending the Razorbacks’ basketball victory over Missouri on Wednesday.
“It was crazy,” he said. “It was a packed-house game, everybody was loud and it was a great environment to be around.”
Thornton, 6-5 and 200 pounds, has made official visits to Miami and Auburn, and now is expected to go home then head to Tennessee for his last visit.
He plans to make a decision shortly after his trip to Knoxville, Tenn., and enroll at his school of choice in January. His trip to Fayetteville went well.
“I would say I had a very great visit,” Thornton said. “The town treated me very well and I had a great time here.”
Thornton had 17 catches for 366 yards and 1 touchdown for the Ducks in 2022, and 26 receptions for 542 yards and 3 touchdowns during his two-year career.
A consensus 4-star prospect in 2021 out of Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore, Thornton was rated as high as No. 9 nationally at his position.
He had offers from LSU, Arizona State, Michigan, Nebraska, Auburn, Baylor, Colorado, Florida, Florida State and Georgia before picking the Ducks.
The state-wide support for the Razorbacks caught the attention of Thornton during his Wednesday-Thursday visit.
“It really does,” Thornton said. “No pro teams here and that lets you know all the attention from that will come directly to you, the athletes.”
He hosted Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and receivers coach Kenny Guiton for an in-home visit about two weeks ago. Thornton praised Guiton before the trip on Monday and after leaving at about 3 p.m. on Thursday.
"I love him and he's a great coach. Definitely a great coach,” he said.
Thornton knows showing well in the SEC will help his chances to play at the next level.
"Most definitely, because you can see the SEC is looked at as the most competitive conference in college football,” he said. “If I were to play in it and I do good, there's a high chance I go to the NFL.”