ATH Bufkin to stay close to home

Dallas (Tex.) Jesuit College Prep athlete Barrett Bufkin is a jack of all trades on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-0, 220-pounder has played fullback, linebacker, tailback and safety in high school. That versatility has made Bufkin a very intriguing prospect to a fair amount of colleges.

"I'm getting mail from Arkansas, SMU, Oklahoma State, Boston College, Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana, UTEP, Kansas State, Wyoming, Texas A&M and Texas Tech," he said. "At this point in time I think I'm kind of favoring Arkansas, SMU, A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. I really like all of those schools because of their location and it would allow me to stay somewhat closer to home. All of them also offer a quality education."

Besides location, Bufkin is looking for a few other things out of a college.

"Football wise I want to be on a competitive, national team where I can get as much playing time as possible. I'd be willing to redshirt my freshman year, but I want to compete every year after that," he said. "I also want to go somewhere I can graduate and get a good degree in business."

This spring the athlete prospect has already made unofficial visits to SMU and Northwestern.

"I loved SMU and Northwestern was very nice too," he said. "I grew up in Dallas so I am very familiar with SMU's campus and new stadium. I like where their program is headed and I love the coaches there. Meanwhile, Northwestern was so big and the visit there really interested me in them a lot more."

This spring Bufkin plans to head back to SMU and Arkansas for visits. He is planning to also attend the Nike Camp at Texas A&M. This summer Bufkin is looking to take in camps at Arkansas, Texas A&M, SMU, TCU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Last season Bufkin earned honorable mention all-district honors after accounting for 785 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.