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Cantrell visits Hogs, lands offer

Roland (Okla.) tight end Austin Cantrell picked up his first Division I offer on Sunday and came close to pulling the trigger on a verbal commitment.
The 6-3 1/2, 249-pound tight end with 4.58 speed made the short trip to Fayetteville (Ark.) to check out the Razorbacks' first spring practice of the year, and head coach Bret Bielema let him know he's wanted at Arkansas.
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"I'm pretty excited," Cantrell said. "We went there to watch them practice and take a little tour. I got to talk to Coach B for a little bit and he was pretty impressed.
"We went down and started watching practice, and later on he talked to me and said, 'Today you're worth $160,000. I'm offering you.' Man, I was excited.
"I almost pulled the trigger right there, but I controlled myself and didn't jump on it too fast. I want to look at some other schools before I make a decision."
Cantrell, who recorded 11 total touchdowns as a junior last fall, can play tight end or defensive end in college, but the Hogs want him on offense. He said there were a number of things that stood out about Sunday's visit, but Bielema was the main attraction.
"Getting to talk to Coach B was probably the best part," he said. "He's really the only head coach I've gotten to talk to. He was really down to earth. That was my favorite part, for sure."
Cantrell said his parents enjoyed their time in Fayetteville, too.
"My mom and dad went with me," the tight end said. "My mom was in love with it. My dad loved it too, but my mom really loved it."
Cantrell also holds an offer from Central Oklahoma and is picking up interest from Memphis, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others. He said Memphis may be his next visit as he begins to check out more schools this offseason.
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