NASHVILLE, Ten. – If the way that Lance Wilhoite competed at Sunday’s Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by Adidas is an indication, he’s not kidding about getting the ball in his hands as often as possible once he gets going with a college program.
One of the teams at the top of that list this spring is Arkansas. Before he spent the afternoon seemingly taking – and winning – more one-on-one reps than any other receiver there en route to MVP honors at the position, he spoke about what his future could be in the Razorbacks’ new-look offense and why is suits him.
“With that system, they could be looking to get the ball in the hands of the receivers more than the running backs,” he said. “And I feel like that’s where I’m looking to go – where I can get the ball in my hands and produce.”
Wilhoite said that he doesn’t have an exact date scheduled, but is planning on taking his official visit to Arkansas with fellow Rivals100 prospect Woodi Washington in June. In the meantime, he said that the communication between him and the staff has been a critical part of his recruitment.
“Everything is going real good with Arkansas right now,” he said. “I like Coach (Justin) Stepp and Coach (Joe) Craddock came by the school last week. We’ve chopped it up a little bit since then, and I feel like everything is going real smooth with them.”
A number of top programs have been vying for his attention this spring, but he said that the combination of conference affiliation and the staff’s track record of producing top wide receiver talent is something that not all the teams courting him bring to the table.
“They’re in the SEC and that’s big,” he said. “Whoever wins that conference championship has a good chance to win a national championship. I feel like they’re the only team that really runs the spread offense in the SEC and I feel like that can work. They already showed me how they used Courtland Sutton when he was at SMU in the same system and he was a high draft pick this year.
Wilhoite left little doubt as to whether or not Arkansas has done enough to this point to contend with some of the other big names that have been on him this spring. He has also taken visits within the last few months to Florida State and Tennessee, but said that the Razorbacks are certainly in the mix for his final decision.
“Arkansas is definitely in my Top 5,” he said. “I’ll be looking to make a commitment after the summer at the beginning of my senior season … They’re in a good spot.”
