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Arkansas’ run of July commitments has continued with a lineman from Memphis.
Christian Brothers two-way standout Patrick Kutas announced his pledge to the Razorbacks via Twitter on Saturday afternoon. Originally recruited by Arkansas as a defensive lineman, he told HawgBeat that he's focused on the offensive line now - but he and the coaches are still open to both.
"There was just a feeling that I felt about no other school," Kutas said about his decision. "Coach (Sam) Pittman has a great record of producing linemen and they are on an upward slope. And it is SEC ball - you can't get better than that."
He chose Arkansas over a fellow finalists Florida State, Illinois and Oregon. He also had offers from Arizona State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and several others. Most schools were recruiting him on the offensive line.
“I like it because it’s close to home,” Kutas told Rivals earlier this month. “The coaching staff was awesome there, as well. I really like the way Coach (Jermial) Ashley broke things down on the defensive side.
“People forget I play D-line, too. The way he attacks it, it really makes sense. Everyone down there loves Coach Pittman. The atmosphere of being there was super cool.”
It is the fourth commitment the Razorbacks have received this month, following defensive back Jaylen Lewis, linebacker Mani Powell and tight end Tyrus Washington. If you include late-June pledges from long snapper Eli Stein and defensive end Nico Davillier, they have landed six in a one-month span.
Kutas took an official visit to Fayetteville on the weekend of June 11-13 and left with a good impression of Arkansas.
“The fans are one thing,” Kutas said following the visit. “They are diehard and crazy. I like that. The atmosphere is great around here and obviously I love the coaches around here. They are line guys, so that helps me a lot.”
With a 5.7 rating from Rivals, Kutas’ commitment adds another 90 points to Arkansas’ total in the Rivals team recruiting rankings. That moves them ahead of Baylor and South Carolina and into 15th nationally. That is good for fourth in the SEC, behind only LSU, Alabama and Georgia.