Greenlaw chooses hometown Hogs

Arkansas picked up another instate commitment Thursday evening when Fayetteville safety/linebacker Dre Greenlaw went public with his decision.

Greenlaw's announcement came exactly two weeks after being offered by head coach Bret Bielema and eight days after he de-committed from Arkansas State, where his father Brian Early coaches the defensive line.

Greenlaw, 5-11, 218, 4.53, had other offers from Georgia, Washington State, Memphis, Southern Miss and Tulsa, and was beginning to pick up heavy interest from Ohio State, Tennessee and others. He said staying at home and playing for the Razorbacks was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"It's just where I've always wanted to go and the place I've dreamed of going since I was little," Greenlaw said. "When I moved to Fayetteville in the 8th and 9th grade, seeing the facilities, being with my dad when he was working there, it's the place I've always strived to get there. I've always wanted to play at the top level with the best players and best recruits.

"Georgia is a top of the line school, and I actually just got off the phone with Coach (Chris) Ash at Ohio State. Those are top schools in the nation, but I'd rather be able to play at home in front of the fans here. I've always wanted to play in front of that big ol' crowd with the Razorbacks. I've dreamed about doing it, and now getting that opportunity, I just wouldn't want to turn down that opportunity, that dream."

Greenlaw's verbal pledge gives the Razorbacks two additions from their own back yard as tight end C.J. O'Grady has been committed since June 18.

"It's going to be awesome," Greenlaw said of continuing his playing career with O'Grady. "Just being able to push each other and go against each other every day in practice. He's been one of my friends since I moved up here and he had a big impact on me picking Arkansas, so it should be a fun couple of years."

Arkansas now owns commitments from nine of the 10 instate prospects they've offered for the Class of 2015. The only one who hasn't jumped on board is Nashville wide receiver La'Michael Pettway, who could make a final decision between the Hogs and Ole Miss at any given time.

The Hogs have a total of 16 verbal commitments on the year counting 2014 offensive lineman Josh Allen, who wasn't accepted into North Carolina and re-opened his recruitment earlier this year. Allen has been cleared by Arkansas plans to enroll in January but will not count towards the official number on Rivals.com's commitment list.

Here's the Commitment Analysis on Arkansas' latest addition:

Impact on the Class

Bielema likes Greenlaw as a WILL linebacker prospect but has told him he'll have the choice of playing safety or linebacker once he gets on campus. Arkansas needs more depth at both positions in this year's haul, so Greenlaw will be a welcome addition at either spot.

As far as rankings, Greenlaw moves Arkansas into the top 20 (at No. 20) on Rivals.com's current team rankings. For a program that has lost its last 16 conference games, the Hogs' future looks brighter as they have put together a very solid class in terms of getting immediate help and filling some of their glaring needs.

Regardless of which position Greenlaw plays, Arkansas still has needs at both linebacker and in the secondary. Expect them to put those two areas as some of their top priorities with the last nine spots.

Howell's Take

Rivals.com Mid-South Recruiting Analyst Jason Howell was impressed by Greenlaw at the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour this past spring and believes the Hogs are getting someone with a knack for making plays.

"For a guy his size, he moves tremendously well," Howell said. "He's got great lateral quickness and he's got great ball skills. Whether it's from the safety spot or somewhere else, he jumps routes well, he's really good in coverage, and he's a big physical guy, too. He's not afraid to come down and lay a hit. You're talking about a guy at 6-1, 215 pounds, chances are he's going to get a little bigger at the college level, so he's a linebacker-bigger safety kind of guy with cover skills and that's hard to find."

Howell said Arkansas' ability to keep its most wanted instate prospects at home is also a big positive for Bielema's program.

"They've been able to lock down the state in a way that hasn't been done in the last few years, and I think it shows that people see their improvements in that program," Howell said. "It may not have shown up in the win/loss column yet, but you can definitely see the progress. I think the kids are buying into it.

"There's always been a tremendous amount of pride in staying home in the state of Arkansas. Growing up, these kids are getting more exposure to other programs, but the University of Arkansas is the main school they grow up watching and rooting for. Arkansas has a little home field advantage there for obvious reasons. Getting guys like K.J. Hill, Ty Storey, Will Gragg and having some of those guys in the boat early -- especially Storey and Jamario Bell -- getting them early on, that definitely helps. But I think people see the progress the program is making and it's definitely a positive.

"Arkansas may not ever be able to build a championship caliber team in the SEC based off of solely the home state talent, but when you're able to keep those guys at home, the out-of-state guys see that, too. They understand that, too. If you've got all your instate kids leaving for somewhere else, those out-of-state kids wonder why. It's easy to see that they're doing some good things and momentum is in a positive direction even though the win/loss column isn't showing it yet."

West's Take

When Deion Sanders says he's impressed by a prospect, you have to pay attention. 'Prime Time' was on hand for the Rivals Camp in Dallas in March, and after seeing Greenlaw grab four interceptions and break up three more passes on the day, the NFL Hall of Famer walked over to where some of us analysts were standing and wanted to know more about the defensive back out of Fayetteville. Sanders also made it a point to stop Greenlaw during the camp and tell him how impressed he was.

Greenlaw, also known as "Big Play Dre", probably would have already earned his scholarship offer from the Hogs had he been healthy enough to attend their camps this past summer. He suffered a broken foot that kept him out of action for a couple of months, so that set him back a little bit. Now fully healthy, he's having a very solid senior year and was very impressive against North Little Rock's K.J. Hill (also an Arkansas commit) earlier this season.

I think Arkansas is getting a guy who can cover, deliver a big hit, and a guy who has a natural instinct to make plays when the ball is in the air.

Away from football, I don't know that I've covered a more impressive person than Greenlaw. He's a remarkable story. He didn't have an easy road before the Early family found him and eventually adopted him, but he's made the most of his opportunities and he's done it the right way. When he's not in school or playing sports, Greenlaw is working at the local Boys and Girls Club trying to have a positive impact on other young people who may be on the same path he had to travel. Greenlaw might be the perfect definition of the "uncommon men" Bielema looks for in recruiting. He's truly impressive.