2019 3-star LB Tarique Barnes Fired Up About New Arkansas Offer
NASHVILLE, Ten. -- Memphis-area linebacker Tarique Barnes was just offered by Arkansas last week, but it hasn’t taken long for the Razorbacks to make a big impression with him.
He holds just three offers, but all three are SEC programs and Barnes has already started planning for an official visit to Fayetteville in the near future. Barnes said that in the short time that he has held his offer from Arkansas, he’s primarily dealt with offensive line coach Dustin Fry, and that he is hoping to get on the campus within the next two-or-three weeks.
“I just met the coach the other day,” he said. “But I can say that I have been looking at them and they have been showing interest in me, so getting an offer from them recently has got me wanting to make a visit out there very soon.”
Barnes’ proximity to Arkansas is also something that works in the Razorbacks favor. He said that his mother’s opinion makes a big difference in his decision, and should her enthusiasm about Arkansas match his when the see it in person, that could be a game-changer in his recruitment.
“I just feel like Arkansas has a nice program,” he said. “As far as going down there, I have to see the rest as we progress … I only live about two hours away, I haven’t talked to my family about things yet, but I bring my mom with me anywhere I visit.”
Pending what he is anticipating as a positive official visit by early next month, Barnes is expecting the Razorbacks to remain in a top contender in his recruitment. Even though there aren’t a high number of teams involved with him to this point, Arkansas should be encouraged by its early foothold it has in his recruitment.
“I have Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi State,” he said. “Arkansas and Mississippi State are the Top 2 in that group - no specific order with those two, but those are the two that I have been getting at me the hardest.
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Spring had been relatively quiet for Barnes, but his move to Cordova could be just what he needed to catch more attention from different programs. His other two offers came last summer, so Arkansas has a strong chance to come in with a recent look to capture his attention. He was clear about his early mutual interest in the Razorbacks, so if an official visit ends up happening as quickly as he mentioned, there is a big opportunity for Arkansas to snag a breezy commitment with him.