Arkansas has landed a 17th addition to the 2020 recruiting class ahead of National Signing Day on Wednesday, Troup High School (Georgia) defensive tackle Andy Boykin. Boykin is a high-rated 3-star and a top 60 prospect coming out of the Peach State this cycle.
Boykin didn't hold an offer from Arkansas until Sam Pittman and his staff took over. The one-time Auburn commit was quickly won over.
“(I committed) because of Coach Pittman," Boykin said. "He’s a great, genuine guy. There’s no fake and funny stuff about him. A lot of people can relate to that because he’s done a lot for a lot of people. Like when he left Georgia, he had an offensive line commit that wanted to de-commit, and he told him, ‘Stay with them, that’s where you belong.’ A lot of coaches don’t do that because they want them to follow him, but it just says what type of person he is.”
Boykin had never visited Arkansas before and was very anxious to get here. Turns out, it did not disappoint in the slightest.
“The Catfish Hole (was the highlight). They show you so much love. They’re just so happy to see you and I’ve never seen anything like that in college football, period. I got to see the city, make bonds with a lot of the coaches I had never talked to, so it was a fun weekend.”
Listed at 6-foot-4, 295-pounds, Boykin is in great shape to play tackle at the SEC level but playing on the edge is also an option for the speedy lineman. He's the only defensive tackle committed for Arkansas in the 2020 class but they'll try to add a grad transfer, Xavier Kelly, who also officially visited this weekend. Boykin relishes the prospect of playing and learning from Kelly.
"It would be a great opportunity because, coming from a great program in Clemson of course, having won a national championship, he knows what it takes," Boykin said. "He knows everything he’s got to do and everything we’ve got to do.”
He'd planned to put hats on a table with Auburn and Tennessee but when it came down to it, he decided to commit on his official visit. Boykin plans to put pen to paper on Wednesday, National Signing Day.
“It will be me and my teammates, we’ll sign at 1 on Wednesday.”
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