Kevin Oatis kicked off his senior season at Hattiesburg (Miss.) High School with a commitment to Arkansas.

The Hogs won out for the four-star defensive line from Mississippi, who was also giving strong consideration to several other SEC programs like Texas A&M, Mississippi State and LSU over the course of his recruitment.

Oatis, the No. 27-ranked DT in the 2025 class, picked up an offer from Sam Pittman and Deke Adams after his junior season. The Razorbacks had been trending up with the four-star prospect for much of the spring and summer.

"As soon as I went over there, I knew it was home," Oatis told Rivals. "They treated me like family over there. I loved everything about Arkansas."

Pittman's character and Adams' approach to coaching were both major selling points for the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder.

They differentiated themselves from several other coaches this off-season.

"Coach Pitt, man he's funny. He asks about anything, even shoes," he laughed. "Coach Deke tells me every day how he can develop me, how I can come down there and he can develop me into a great athlete who can do great things at Arkansas."

"They call me every day asking or helping me with what I can do to improve upon, tell me what I'm doing wrong or watch and let me know how I can be great," Oatis continued. "I just wanna be better."

Oatis made a string of visits to the Hill in recent months, including trips to Arkansas' campus in the spring and again on May 31-June 2 weekend for an official visit. During that final trip, he started to fall for the culture inside the building -- as explained by some of the current Razorbacks on the roster.

"The players up there love it," Oatis said. "They told me all about Coach Pitt, and how the coaches -- they're real and they'll let you compete. It doesn't matter if you're a five-star or not, if you work you'll work your way up the depth chart. They tell you the truth, not honey."