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The East Texas Express is about to arrive in Fayetteville, Ark., and that’s great news for the Razorbacks.
On Jan. 2, Arkansas received one of its biggest commitments in the 2016 recruiting cycle as running back Devwah Whaley (Beaumont, Texas/Central) pledged to the Razorbacks at the Under Armour All-America Game.
Whaley rushed for 1,530 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season.
When you dive into the specifics of the 6-foot, 205-pounder, who is ranked as the No. 4 running back in the Class of 2016, and what he brings to the table at his position, there are a bunch of positives.
Size/speed
Whaley is a tall back with a frame that can easily carry 220 pounds plus. On film, you watch him run the ball from scrimmage and you can easily tell that he has the breakaway speed that Arkansas fans are accustomed to seeing from backs like Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams during the era of head coach Bret Bielema.
Physicality
Make no mistake about it, despite his breakaway speed Whaley isn’t a finesse back. He isn’t afraid to run the ball between the tackles and certainly has the strength to hold his own against defenders. This is what sets him apart in terms of running backs nationally and one of the big reasons why he’s highly-regarded.
Early impact
Arkansas uses multiple running backs in its offensive system and there are carries to go around. Therefore, given Whaley’s ability and the simple fact that the transition from high school to college for a running back does not include as steep of a learning curve, you can easily see him playing and carrying the ball from the first game of his college career.
Bottom line
The Razorbacks needed a big-time running back prospect in this class with Jonathan Williams’ college career over (missed this past season with an injury), Alex Collins possibly (perhaps likely) heading to the NFL and a third back, Rawleigh Williams III, suffered a career-threatening neck injury during the 2015 season.
Whaley, who was committed to Georgia prior to Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt getting fired, fits the mold of not only what Arkansas desired, but what it definitely needed this cycle. From a perception standpoint (always important in recruiting and in college football in general), it continues the tradition of Arkansas being a destination program for big-time backs under Bielema and represents a recruiting victory in East Texas, which typically is loaded with talent and an area of the Lone Star State that is important to Arkansas.
Recruiting writer for Saturday Down South
