Hawgs will be tough to beat
He's one of the best linebackers in the entire Southeast and in the nation, but for some reason not a lot of people are talking about how talented he is. The player in question is North Little Rock, Ark., four-star linebacker Van Stumon, a 6-foot-2, 238-pound tackling machine.
Stumon and his teammates didn't get the season started quite the way he wanted. He said his didn't have anybody to blame but himself.
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"We didn't move the ball very well in our first game," Stumon said. "I had three tackles, a sack and a pass deflection. I didn't have a bad game on defense, but I wasn't gaining many yards at running back on offense. So overall it was pretty disappointing."
What isn't disappointing is the recruiting process. Stuman has offers from both Arkansas and Purdue and his list of suitors is starting to focus more and more on three teams.
"Arkansas, Purdue, and LSU are my top three," he said. "I like Arkansas a lot. I like the coaches and the fan support that they have. I like the program a lot, too. So they are definitely in good shape with me."
"I plan to visit Purdue at the end of the season. I'm going to visit Arkansas and then probably try to visit LSU, too. I'm not sure if I'll take any more than that."
Stumon said a big reason why the Hawgs lead is the relationship he's built with assistant coach Danny Nutt.
"We are pretty close," Stumon said. "He's probably my favorite coach to talk to. He's real enthusiastic about football and everything. I like all the coaches I talk to, really. They are all pretty helpful and try to teach me things to improve my game."
So what will the perfect school have for Stumon?
"I mainly want to find a school with a good football program and academics – a combination of the two," he said. "I have a 2.7 GPA. I took my ACT a few months ago, and I got a 16. I plan to retake it pretty soon."