FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The NCAA is currently at a standstill when it comes to recruits taking official visits, but one tight end is planning to make a trip to Arkansas when the visit window opens on Jan. 4.
Jake Roberts, who has spent three seasons at North Texas, is planing to be in Fayetteville. Since entering the transfer portal on Dec. 20, he has racked up big-time offers, including Baylor, Wisconsin, Tennessee, California, SMU and others.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end said he is impressed with Arkansas' new tight ends coach Morgan Turner and his ability to put tight ends into the NFL.
"It's second to none," Roberts said of Turner's NFL success. "I mean, consistently for a long time put tight ends in the NFL. That's something you can't even ignore. It's hard to ignore. I've seen the pedigree of tight ends that Stanford seeing how he consistently puts guys in the NFL. And he doesn't just put them in the NFL. Those are guys that have a lot of success in the NFL. Colby Parkinson, Coby Fleener, I mean Dalton Schultz with the Dallas Cowboys. It seems like everywhere you look in the NFL there's a tight end that Morgan Turner coached. It's definitely something that has made Arkansas really appealing to me."
Should Roberts choose Arkansas, he would fill in a void left by Trey Knox, who entered the transfer portal after four seasons with Arkansas and followed former tight ends coach Dowell Loggains to South Carolina.
Roberts' best season came in 2022, when he hauled in 28 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns. His longest touchdown was a 70-yard play against Florida International on Nov. 5. He said he believes he is capable of more, though.
"I had one touchdown get called back," Roberts said. "I think I had a solid season, but I think I can do more. I think that's just getting started for me. I think I can put some even bigger numbers with the right fit and right place. It's just something I've go to find the right fit for me so I can excel and build on what I did this year. Stats are cool and all, but I want to be playing good football and contributing helping the team win."
The Norman, Oklahoma, native made some trips to Fayetteville when he was in high school, but former head coach Chad Morris never extended an offer to him. Regardless, he was impressed with the school coming out of North High School.
"I've been there twice coming out of high school," Roberts said. "But I just never got the offer. I loved it coming out of high school. I mean it was a beautiful place but I never got the opportunity. They didn't want me then, but it's pretty cool to have the opportunity now. At least better late than never. That's definitely a place I want to come check out."
Roberts said playing in the SEC, even if just for the final two years of eligibility he has left, is something that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.
"I mean that's a dream of mine," Roberts said. "It's the best of the best. You can't get any better than the division Arkansas plays in. You are playing the Alabama's, the LSU's, week in and week out. That would be big-time and push me to grow as a person and a player. To say I played in that division is something I could carry with me the rest of my life."
