EMCC defensive end Julius Coates commits, signs with Arkansas

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday after signing seven high school athletes that to finish the class he'd be searching for athletes with the ability to help his new team immediately. Well, he found one in East Mississippi C.C. sophomore defensive end Julius Coates.

Coates announced his decision on day two of the early signing period and put pen to paper as well. He's a December graduate with two years to play two for the Hogs.

It's been a long journey for the junior college athlete. As a high school senior in the class of 2017, Coates went unsigned and found his way to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. At Ellsworth, he played tight end and had 8 receptions for 62 yards.

But the Rockford, Illinois prospect saw a different path as a defensive lineman. “I was looking to make the switch to defense this summer and got an opportunity to come play defensive end at East Mississippi,” Coates continued. “So, I decided to take the opportunity and it worked out well for me.”

With his size at 6-foot-7, 270-pounds, Coates fits the mold of a ready-to-play SEC defensive end. Division-I programs started recruiting him heavily leading into his second year at EMCC and he racked up offers from schools like Colorado, New Mexico, ULL and Western Kentucky.

In his second season at EMCC, Coates racked up 30 tackles, six sacks, nine tackles for loss and two forced fumbles with two scoop and scores.

Following an official visit to Colorado in October, the 3-star promptly committed to the Buffs. However, after picking up several more offers from Power 5 programs like Oregon, Nebraska, Arkansas and Maryland, Coates reopened his recruitment this month.

Coates took official visits to both Nebraska and Oregon but he decided to call the Hogs–sight unseen–after getting re-offered by Pittman and his staff this week.

"I trust in Coach Pittman and where he can take this program," Coates said. "He’s building a great staff and I know I’ll be in good hands at Arkansas. I’ve wanted to play in the SEC for a long time and the opportunity I have with the Razorbacks is a great one."

Arkansas will now have four enter the program for the spring semester, all players on defense: Coates, Blayne Toll, Myles Slusher and Kelin Burrle.

This takes Arkansas's 2020 class up to eight signees (11 total commits) with another decision coming up this afternoon from Memphis athlete Darin Turner, a former Hog commit. Coates' signature adds 60 points to Arkansas's team recruiting score but the Hogs are still fighting a quantity battle and are ranked last in the SEC at the moment.

Coates offers a nice blend of length, size and athleticism. He only has two years to play two, so he will need to be able to come in right away and compete. On tape, the fact that he scores two touchdowns on fumble recoveries is impressive; but the clip that shows his full range of ability comes at the 3:15 mark where he has the edge responsibility, rushes in a controlled manner, recognizes the quick pass is coming and gets his hands up against a rolling quarterback to knock the pass down.

Coates is still raw, but there is a lot of potential there with his combination of size and athleticism.

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