Recruiting: Talent abounds at Arkansas Seniors Camp
BY OTIS KIRK -ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE -- Louis Campbell, Arkansas' director of football operations, estimated 275 athletes attended the Seniors Camp at Arkansas over the weekend.
The athletes were sent through a series of tests Friday night and then did position drills Saturday morning, with Arkansas coaches watching closely.
Among those attending the camp who have already committed to the Hogs were Pulaski Robinson offensive lineman Nate Garner, 6-61
Nutt was at the AAO convention last night as well..
Nutt glad to lend name for good
BY SCOTT CAIN -ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
ROGERS -- One Arkansas football player's arrest and another's trial have grabbed as many headlines as just about any Razorbacks-related subject this summer.
So Coach Houston Nutt was more than glad to spend a long weekend supporting an organization where many of Arkansas' men's and women's athletes are making a difference in people's lives but not making headlines.
The annual fund-raiser that provides almost half of the more than $300,000 operating budget for Arkansas Athletes Outreach ended Monday with the Houston Nutt/AAO Golf Classic at Pinnacle Country Club. A dinner and auction were held over the weekend.
Arkansas' athletic department works in cooperation with AAO but the group is not part of the university.
AAO's goals are to promote spiritual growth, to develop character and leadership qualities and to send athletes into the community to influence children. Roughly 250 UA athletes are involved in AAO, and they reach about 25,000 youth each year through school appearances, AAO sports programs and other avenues, executive director Brad Friess said.
"Most of them are doing it the right way but you don't hear about them as much," said Nutt, whose program took a black eye this summer with the legal troubles of free safety Ken Hamlin and tailback Cedric Cobbs.
It didn't take long for Nutt to adopt AAO as the primary charity behind which he throws his statewide celebrity.
The golf tournament was in place before Nutt arrived. He played in it the first summer after he was hired as coach five years ago and he has lent his name to the event the last four years.
"He came out that first year and I think he was like, 'OK, I'll be part of it because [another] football coach did,' " said Leslee Urhahn, an AAO staff member and the tournament organizer. "But he has really gotten behind AAO. Because of his recognition -- he's so popular -- he lends credibility to our program."
There's mutual admiration.
"When I first heard about this, I thought this was so neat that you have something like this that's different from other universities," Nutt said. "Then I saw the athletes with my own eyes participating in the elementary schools and with the youth. It's so awesome. They teach them to be champions on and off the field."
AAO's programs and its sports complex, which is a couple of miles north of campus, are part of the Arkansas football program's recruiting pitch, Nutt said.
But it takes more than praise to keep the operation afloat. The weekend's events raised between $150,000 and $160,000 after expenses, Urhahn said. That's down slightly from last year but not unexpected in uncertain economic times.
"We appreciate the sponsors' support so much more in this time period where you see companies' budgets being cut," Urhahn said. "We've had sponsors maintain and increase their support."
The donations allow AAO's staff to spend more time working on life change, instead of having to worry about scraping for loose change. In turn, the athletes are turned out to help in the community.
AAO started 12 years ago with Friess trying to turn an idea into reality. The staff has since grown to 13.
"It was very humble beginnings," said Friess, who lettered at Arkansas from 1979-1982 in basketball. "Over the years, I've enjoyed seeing the number of athletes who get involved and then see some of them come onto our staff and then see the number of lives they touch in our community."
Ryan Hale is one of those who has been on both sides. Hale lettered as a defensive lineman from 1995-1998 and participated in AAO programs, played in the NFL and last year was hired onto the AAO staff.
"There are a lot of organizations that are spiritually based and give you a good spiritual biblical basis," Hale said. "But AAO tries to take it to the next step, not only developing a biblical foundation but developing you as a leader and developing your character."
They're the kind of developments that can be seen with or without headlines
This class is one of the best classes to come out of Arkansas and the surrounding states in a long time.