Talented running back is fourth weekend commit
Arkansas’ first big recruiting weekend for the late signing period in February has turned out to be a big positive.
Independence (Kan.) Community College three-star running back Rakeem Boyd made his commitment known via Twitter Monday afternoon. Boyd is the fourth recruit from this past weekend to commit since Sunday afternoon.
Done deal‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/DdKKIs9Xga
— Rakeem boyd ™ (@boyd_rakeem) January 22, 2018
As a senior out of Houston (Texas) Stratford he signed with Texas A&M. He redshirted there in 2016, then played the 2017 season at Independence Community College.
This past season, Boyd rushed 192 times on 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching nine passes for 59 yards.
In a 30-20 victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the Midwest Classic Bowl on Dec. 3, Boyd rushed 35 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns with two catches for 10 yards.
He talked with Hawg247.com’s Otis Kirk about Arkansas and running backs coach Jeff Traylor following his official visit on Sunday:
“Man I had an awesome time with Devwah (Whaley),” Boyd said. “He showed me around. I like Fayetteville. It’s a little bit different from other schools. It’s SEC. Chad Morris is here so there’s a lot of things gonna be changed.”
In addition to Boyd, three other players from visits this weekend also committed afterwards:
• Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.) 3-star safety Myles Mason. He was committed to Mississippi State since Oct. 26.
After a bunch of prayer ???????? and talking with my family, I am proud to announce that I wil be decommiting from Mississippi State University and recommiting to the the University of Arkansas ???????? #WPS pic.twitter.com/LqZglkxukd
— Myles Mason (@TrackstarMyles) January 22, 2018
• New Orleans (La.) Sophie B. Wright three-star linebacker Andrew Parker announced he had committed to the Razorbacks at the conclusion of his visit Sunday.
Committed! #RazorFAST18 #Woopig ???? pic.twitter.com/XvPTELvZNo
— RealANDREWPARKER#7 (@KXNGDRXW__) January 21, 2018
Owasso (Okla.) 3-star defensive end Courtre Alexander was the first commitment Sunday after his official visit.
Blessed beyond belief to say that I will be furthering my education and football career at the UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS #HammerDown #WPS????‼️‼️‼️????????@coachmarksmith @CoachSCaldwell pic.twitter.com/aWZSGjdLkp
— courtre (@ctrealexander) January 21, 2018
Hogs’ women’s team opens season at home Tuesday
FAYETTEVILLE — Coming off the program’s ninth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 12 years, No. 18 Arkansas will open its 2018 dual match season Tuesday at home against Tulsa.
First serve is set for 1 p.m. at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.
Quotable
“It’s always nice to start the spring season at home,” Coach Michael Hegarty said. “Tulsa has another outstanding team this year and these are the kind of quality matches we need early in the spring.”
Promotions
Admission is free. Tuesday’s match will feature complimentary Keurig products, popcorn and Pepsi soft drinks for all fans in attendance.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow Tuesday’s action through live scoring here.
The Series
Arkansas holds a 25-6 advantage over Tulsa in the all-time series dating back to the 1979-80 season. Last season, the Razorbacks defeated the Golden Hurricane, 6-1, at Tulsa.
In The Rankings
One of nine SEC teams featured in the top 25, the Razorbacks’ No. 18 ranking is their highest since opening at No. 14 in 2009.
Individually, senior Léolia Jeanjean is ranked No. 67 in singles and No. 25 in doubles with her partner sophomore Giulia Pairone. Senior Mia Jurasic and junior Ana Oparenovic are the nation’s No. 57 ranked doubles duo.
Hegarty At The Helm
Hegarty is entering his 15th season as coach of the Razorbacks.
Hegarty, who is the program’s all-time winningest coach with 197 victories, has led the Razorbacks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including three straight.
2017 Review
Last spring, the Razorbacks’ went 18-10 (7-6 SEC) and defeated 11 teams featured in the final 2017 national rankings, including No. 14 Auburn, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 21 LSU and No. 24 Tennessee.
Arkansas checked in at No. 19 in the final rankings after holding a spot in the top 20 in each of the last 10 weeks of the season.
Anderson previews tough road matchup with ’Dogs
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson met with the media Monday and talked about Tuesday night’s matchup with Georgia.
Hogs will now have seven at quarterback position
Arkansas has added a seventh quarterback to what was already going to be a crowded position.
Austin Aune, a former three-star recruit from Argyle, Texas, and signee with TCU, is enrolled at the UA, according to multiple media reports.
He will be participating in spring practice.
According to a story from Andrew Hutchinson with Hawgs247.com:
Although he was a member of the Horned Frogs’ 2012 signing class, Aune never played a down. He was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the MLB Draft and passed up the gridiron for a $1 million bonus, which was nearly double the slot value for the 89th overall pick.
Aune played six seasons in the Yankees’ minor league system, including the last two years at High-A Tampa. The shortstop-turned-outfielder never lived up to expectations, hitting just .226 with 20 home runs and 148 RBIs in 387 games. His best season was with Single-A Charleston in 2015, when he had career highs in batting average (.246), doubles (29), triples (10), home runs (8) and RBIs (49).
The Yankees released Aune in August and he’s looking to revive a football career along the lines of Chris Weinke at Florida State and Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State.
He is 24 years old, but turns 25 in September, just a few days after the Hogs open the 2018 season against Eastern Illinois.
Aune unoficially visited Arkansas on the weekend prior to the early signing period in December and is now enrolled as a student, according to the university’s directory.
Aune threw for 3,411 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior. Despite being listed as a pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports database, he also added 538 yards and nine scores on the ground.
The quarterbacks on scholarship already are Cole Kelley, Ty Storey and Daulton Hyatt. There are two walk-ons in Jack Lindsey and Carson Proctor with four-star signee Connor Noland, but he won’t join the team until fall drills start.
Ortiz tops leaderboard at Latin America Amateur
SANTIAGO, Chile. — When the dust settled on Monday, Razorback golfer Alvaro Ortiz found himself alone atop the leaderboard at 4-under heading into Tuesday’s final round of the Latin America Amateur Championship at Prince of Wales Country Club.
On the difficult 18th hole, which four of the top five players bogeyed, Ortiz rolled in a clutch 10-footer for par to cap a 1-under 70 and give him a one-shot lead on the field, which includes the No. 1 amateur player in the world in Joaquin Niemann from Chile.
With rounds of 69-70-70 – 209 (-4), Ortiz is in the driver’s seat heading into the final round where the winner of the Latin America Amateur will be invited to the 2018 Masters Tournament and receive exemptions into the final stages of qualifying for The Open and U.S. Open in 2018.
The Zapopan, Mexico, native finds himself in familiar territory after holding a 54-hole lead at the event last year before finishing runner-up in a playoff.
“I’ll definitely going to draw on my experiences from last year heading into tomorrow,” Ortiz said. “I’m an emotional player and staying calm and hitting that putt on 18 was big for me.”
Ortiz has 12 birdies in the first three rounds, with seven of those coming on the front nine. He will tee off tomorrow morning in the final group at 6:28 a.m. CT.
Live coverage of the final round starts at 9 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
Razorbacks eye big road test against Georgia
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas travels to Athens, Georgia, Tuesday looking for its first road win of the season, as the Razorbacks face the Georgia Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
The Rundown
Opponent: at Georgia (12-6, 3-4 SEC)
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 23
Site: Stegeman Coliseum (Athens, Ga.)
Tip-off: 5:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network | WatchESPN
Live Stats: Click Here
SiriusXM Radio: 137/190
The #Fastest40 Facts
• Daniel Gafford earned his second SEC Freshman of the week honor on Monday, joining Bobby Portis and Patrick Beverley as the only Razorbacks to win the award multiple times.
• Arkansas has won 32 consecutive games in which it has led at halftime. During Mike Anderson era, the Razorbacks are 117-7 when leading at the intermission.
• Jaylen Barford is the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in points per game (3rd), FG percentage (3rd) and 3-point FG percentage (1st).
• In the final minute and overtime of games this season, Daryl Macon is a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line. In his career, he is 45-of-49 (.918).
• Daniel Gafford leads all SEC freshmen and ranks fifth in the nation among rookies in field goal percentage at 63 percent.
• During the last four seasons, Arkansas is tied for second in the SEC in league wins with 37, while Georgia is sixth with 33 victories.
• Daniel Gafford’s 42 dunks are as many as six SEC teams, including 10 more than Georgia has as a program this season.
• Daryl Macon is one of three players in the SEC with four games of 8+ assists this season. In those four contests, he has totaled 32 assists and just six turnovers.
• Following Saturday’s win against Ole Miss, Arkansas’ RPI checked in at No. 29 according to ESPN, while the strength of schedule is No. 17.
• Arkansas currently has the 5th longest three-point streak in the country at 961 consecutive games.
A Win Would…
• Give the Razorbacks their first true road win of the season and the fourth victory away from Bud Walton Arena this year.
• Give Arkansas its sixth victory in Stegeman Coliseum, including its 2nd win in the last three trips to Athens.
• Make Mike Anderson 8-3 all-time against Georgia as a head coach.
Gafford joins elite company with second SEC honor
FAYETTEVILLE — After averaging a double-double last week against Florida and Ole Miss, freshman forward Daniel Gafford earned his second career SEC Freshman of the Week honor from the league office Monday.
Gafford joins NBA players Bobby Portis and Patrick Beverley as the only Razorbacks to earn the honor multiple times and is one of three players in the league to claim it twice this year.
Gafford recorded his first career double-double last Wednesday at Florida, scoring 14 points and adding 11 rebounds, including a career-high five offensive boards. The 6-11 big man followed that with one of his most complete performances of the year with 15 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and a career-high three steals in a home victory against Ole Miss. Last week, he averaged 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
Gafford is shooting 62.5 percent from the field this season, ranking fifth among all freshmen in the country, second overall in the SEC and 31st overall in the nation. He leads the SEC in field goal percentage in conference games, shooting 58.5 percent (38-65).
Averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds against SEC teams, Gafford has scored 14-plus points in five of his first seven career SEC games. The El Dorado, Arkansas, native is responsible for 42 of Arkansas’ 76 dunks and has recorded as many dunks as six SEC teams.
Arkansas travels to Athens, Georgia, Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. CT matchup with the Bulldogs on the SEC Network.
