Arkansas wideouts dealing with injury woes heading into Saturday’s spring game

Arkansas’ wide receivers won’t be in full health for the spring game Saturday.

Better now than in September, anyway.

Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman detailed a number of injuries bothering his Razorbacks this week ahead of the team’s spring game on Saturday inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas is especially thin at wide receiver, Pittman said, though the bumps and bruises at that position have given the inexperienced players – the Hogs returned every wideout who had a catch last year – some opportunity to make a dent in the depth chart.

“I think maybe the biggest question mark right now is where we’re at wide receiver-wise because we’ve had several injuries,” Pittman said. “We know who we have, we just haven’t seen them I guess in the last couple of days. But some younger guys are moving up the depth chart. It’s given them some opportunities.”

Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas’ leading receiver last year, has been dealing with a hamstring injury since late March. Tyrone Broden, the team’s third-leading receiver, has been out because of family reasons. Jaedon Wilson, who is battling Broden and Isaiah Sategna for the No. 3 receiver spot, is also trying to fight off a hamstring injury. And Davion Dozier, whose spring has impressed, has an injury Pittman thinks is Dozier’s hand.

“He didn’t come back so a lot of times if it’s a hand, that’s not great news but we’ll figure it out,” the Arkansas coach said.

The Razorbacks will play their spring game Saturday with two 15-minute quarters and a normal clock in the first half, have a 10-minute halftime and finish with a running clock for two 10-minute quarters in the second half. Kickoff is a noon and the game will air on SEC Network+.

Three Arkansas Football commits to compete in prestigious all-star game

Three Razorback pledges will be representing their home state of Alabama in December.

Three Arkansas pledges for the 2023 recruiting cycle will represent their home state this December in an annual all-star game.

The Alabama High School Athletic Association recently revealed the rosters for the 36th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, and Team Alabama features three current Arkansas commits.

Defensive backs [autotag]Dallas Young[/autotag] and [autotag]T.J. Metcalf[/autotag], as wide receiver [autotag]Davion Dozier[/autotag] are among 40 players selected to compete for Team Alabama at the annual all-star game that will take place on Saturday, December 10 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, located at the University of South Alabama.

Through nine games, Dozier is the leading receiver for Moody High School, which is coached by former Georgia linebacker Jake Ganus. Dozier has reeled in 41 catches for 17 touchdowns for the Blue Devils.  Metcalf, who is also coached by a former SEC player Lee Guess, is currently having a great season at Pinson Valley High School.

Young has been a vital part of Gardendale High School’s success this season. The Rockets are currently 6-2 overall and will compete for the 6A Region 5 championship this Friday night against Mountain Brook High School.

Arkansas currently ranks No. 17 in the 2023 recruiting rankings by 247Sports with 17 total commitments.

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Three-star WR from Alabama commits to Arkansas

Arkansas lands their 23rd commitment of the 2023 cycle by reeling in Davion Dozier.

The already stunning 2023 commitment list for Arkansas got better on Wednesday, as they added a three-star wide receiver from the state of Alabama.

[autotag]Davion Dozier[/autotag], a 6-4 wide receiver from Moody High School in the metro Birmingham area, announced his commitment to Arkansas, giving the Razorbacks 23 commits so far in the 2023 cycle.

Dozier has had relatively quiet recruitment to this point, by only receiving six offers. Arkansas offered Dozier on May 4, and Dozier took an unofficial visit on June 17. Since then, only Duke has offered a scholarship to Dozier.

Dozier was the leading receiver for Moody High School last season, he reeled in 51 catches for 833 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Blue Devils.

Out of the 23 commits that Arkansas has received for the 2023 cycle, Dozier is the seventh commit from the month of July. Dozier is ranked as the No. 26 player from the state of Alabama, and the No. 77 wide receiver in the nation for 2023.

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Standout Alabama WR talks relationship with Grisham, ‘great’ Swinney Camp experience

Among the standout wide receivers who had the chance to showcase their talent on the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on Thursday, June 2, was Davion Dozier – a 6-foot-4, 200-pound three-star rising senior from Alabama’s Moody High School. …

Among the standout wide receivers who had the chance to showcase their talent on the second day of the Dabo Swinney Camp on Thursday, June 2, was Davion Dozier — a 6-foot-4, 200-pound three-star rising senior from Alabama’s Moody High School.

“Everything went good,” Dozier told The Clemson Insider regarding his Swinney Camp experience. “I had a great camp. Coach (Tyler Grisham) said he was glad that I came because he wanted to see how I could move and he said I could move way better than he thought as a bigger body. He said we will stay in touch and he’s ready to see what I do this year coming up, so I may get (an offer) before, may not, but it was a great experience.”

According to Dozier, Grisham, who serves as Clemson’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, was left impressed by what he had to offer during the morning session of the second day of Swinney Camp. 

Coming to camp certainly improved the Yellowhammer State wideout’s standing with the Tigers.

“I definitely did,” Dozier said. “That’s what (Coach Grisham) told me. By me coming to the camp, I definitely helped myself in a better position with them.”

Part of the reason that the Tigers didn’t offer Dozier at the time was that they had four class of 2023 wide receivers on campus starting that Friday, June 3, for Clemson’s official visit weekend.

Lakeland (Fla.) four-star WR Tyler Williams, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (Cambridge, Mass.) four-star Ronan Hanafin, Edison (Miami, Fla.) four-star WR Nathaniel Joseph and Rolesville (Raleigh, N.C.) four-star WR Noah Rogers were among the receivers in attendance.

“That’s what (Coach Grisham told my coach too,” Dozier added. “He was like, ‘We got three 2023 receivers on OVs this week,’ and me and my coach were just hoping they went 0-for-3.”

Grisham wasn’t accounting for Joseph, who was already committed at that time. The Miami-based receiver has since walked back his pledge, while Clemson has added the commitment of Rockwall (Texas) four-star WR Noble Johnson.

With the Tigers now having two remaining scholarship spots open, what would a potential offer from Clemson mean for Dozier and his recruitment?

“It would mean a lot,” he said regarding a potential offer. “Clemson’s been one of my favorite schools for a long time. It would be real crazy if I got it.”

 Nearly a week later, Dozier released his top-five schools, which included Maryland, South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee and Duke. Dozier, who took an official visit to Maryland from June 10-12, was just at Arkansas this past weekend and plans to take an official to Duke from June 24-26.

At the beginning of the month, Dozier told us that he was leaving some of his officials open just in case, but that could change now that he has five schools that he’s currently focusing on.

For now, Dozier is focused on letting things play out ahead of what looks to be a big senior season.

That fits what Girsham told him.

According to Dozier, he wants to see how the big-time Alabama wideout fares during the fall of his senior season. In any event, Dozier is a big fan of Clemson’s wide receivers coach.

“I like him a lot,” Dozier said. “I’ve always been on the phone and texting with him. Talking with him in person and seeing (what Clemson had to offer) made me like it even more. I think he’s a great coach. He was coaching us more than we did anything. Every time something happened, he was coaching us on it. He was making us better and correcting us.”

Dozier indicated to us that if Clemson doesn’t get the receivers it set out to get during its official visit weekend, he may get an offer prior to the season, or he may get it a few games into his senior campaign. It all depends.

It’s certainly a situation worth monitoring going forward.

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The Insider Report: Latest on a top Texas QB, elite OL, nation’s No. 1 LB & more

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report. We hope everyone had a great weekend. Lone Star State gunslinger getting a lot of attention from Tigers After Dylan Raiola committed to Ohio State last week, Clemson’s quarterback recruiting …

It’s time for this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

We hope everyone had a great weekend.

Lone Star State gunslinger getting a lot of attention from Tigers

After Dylan Raiola committed to Ohio State last week, Clemson’s quarterback recruiting board has started to take shape. It’s reasonable to assume that Clemson has since shifted its focus to Willis (Texas) four-star DJ Lagway.

Of course, the Tigers have shown or expressed interest in other 2024 QB prospects like Jadyn Davis, Dante Reno, Daniel Kaelin, James Resar and Jake Merklinger — to name a few — but the attention has begun to shift in Lagway’s direction.

We first identified Lagway as a potential target for Clemson dating back to February. Since then, he made a largely anticipated unofficial visit to campus, while Clemson offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter has now made multiple trips to see the Lone Star State gunslinger in the month of May alone.

“They want me to get up there this summer and camp and stuff like that,” Lagway recently told The Clemson Insider. “Coach Streeter came out to one of my spring practices. He said he was very impressed. I’ve been talking to Coach (Dabo) Swinney a lot, almost two times a week. We talk a lot, me and Coach Swinney.”

The fact that Lagway gets to talk pretty frequently with Clemson’s head coach isn’t something he takes lightly. Lagway told us that he feels like the Tigers have made him a priority in their 2024 recruiting class and that he’s one of their top guys in their class.

“That shows that they’re very interested in me and that they’re very high on my list,” he said, “because the interest level has been there from the beginning. That’s a big part in my recruitment.”

Lagway indicated that a scholarship offer from Clemson could come when he visits campus next month. He’s had those conversations about a potential offer dating back to when he visited last month.

“That was a conversation we had from the very beginning since I got there when I got down there on campus when I went to Coach Swinney’s house,” Lagway said. “It’s just the way they run things, they just want to keep the process smooth and keep the way they’ve been doing things.”

“That would be huge,” he continued. “That would be a blessing to have an offer from Clemson and all that good stuff. It would change a lot with my top five.”

Some names to know ahead of Swinney Camp

TCI wanted to pass along some names that we’re tracking ahead of next month’s Dabo Swinney Camp.

While we’ll introduce some new information about some other rising juniors like Kam Pringle and Sammy Brown in this week’s edition of the Insider Report, the names that follow are important ones to know when Clemson starts dishing out offers come June 1.

Those names include — St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) four-star wide receiver Chance Robinson, Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.) four-star WR Alex Taylor and Webb School of Knoxville (Tenn.) four-star athlete Markeis Barrett.

While Robinson hasn’t talked to anyone from Clemson, the Tigers reached out to his head coach and sent him a message saying that they want him to come up and do a workout with them.

Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham also followed him on Twitter not too long ago.

Robinson said that he’ll likely camp at Clemson next month and show them what he’s capable of. Robinson (6-1, 180) ranks as the No. 12 wide receiver and the nation’s No. 76 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

As for Taylor, he’s kept in pretty consistent contact with Grisham since he unofficially visited Clemson back in March. Taylor is unsure when he’ll return to Clemson, but he’s been chatting with Clemson’s receivers coach about returning for camp this summer. While nothing is set in stone, June 11 is certainly a date worth keeping in mind.

Rivals considers Taylor (6-3, 175) as the No. 33 receiver and the No. 204 overall prospect nationally in the class of 2024.

Last but certainly not least is Barrett, who told us that Clemson wants him to come up for camp this summer, as the Tigers have talked multiple times with his coaches.

“They want me to come down, so they can show me around their facilities and also their campus,” Barrett said. “I am also going to camp there (this summer). From what my coaches told me, is that they want to build a good relationship with me throughout their recruiting process with me and also they want me to come down as much as I can.”

Barrett (6-1, 170) ranks as the No. 33 athlete and No. 3 prospect in the state of Tennessee for his class.

Fast-rising Alabama receiver planning to camp at Clemson

A fast-rising wide receiver from the state of Alabama is planning to visit Clemson in June, in hopes that he can earn an offer from the Tigers.

“I’m going to camp either June 1st or 2nd and see if I pull the offer,” Dozier told The Clemson Insider via text message.

Moody (Ala.) 2023 three-star Davion Dozier is in constant contact with Grisham and is focusing on building a relationship with Clemson’s wide receivers coach.

Clemson’s history at the receiver position is intriguing to Dozier, who describes himself as a big target, who can go up and get the ball and make all the necessary plays.

“He told me that he loves everything,” Dozier said of Grisham. “He told me that he’s been keeping track since my sophomore year. That’s when he first started and he told me that I’m getting bigger and better.”

The latest on Clemson and nation’s No. 1 LB

TCI recently checked back in with the nation’s top-ranked linebacker in the 2024 class to get an update on his recruitment and where things stand with Clemson.

Jefferson (Ga.) five-star Sammy Brown – the No. 1 linebacker in his class, per multiple recruiting services – is one of just two prospects in his class to have earned an offer from the Tigers to date.

Brown (6-2, 220) picked up the offer while on a March 12 visit to Clemson, then returned to campus on April 6 to take in the Tigers’ final spring practice prior to the April 9 spring game.

After the aforementioned practice, Brown had dinner with defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin, and the two continue to stay in touch every week or so through Brown’s father, Michael, who is the associate head football coach at Jefferson.

Goodwin and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn stopped by Jefferson to check in on Brown during the current spring evaluation period and went to one of his weight training periods. Brown told TCI that “it was a pretty big honor” that the coaches came by to see him work out when they could have been anywhere else in the country.

At the time TCI spoke with Brown, he hadn’t been able to sit down and look at his summer schedule, but said Clemson “is a place that we definitely want to get back to this summer.”

Brown, who boasts around two dozen offers, cited Clemson as one of the schools recruiting him the hardest at this point in the process along with Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State.

As for where Clemson currently stands with the coveted linebacker, Brown said he really likes Clemson, its culture and “what they’re doing and have done.”

“It’s one of the more elite colleges in football right now,” he added.

Update on elite 2024 OL Kam Pringle

TCI also recently caught up with another elite prospect in the 2024 class – Woodland High School (Dorchester, S.C.) four-star offensive lineman Kam Pringle, who is ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the country for his class according to both Rivals and the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Clemson stopped by Pringle’s school earlier this year, and he has been communicating periodically with offensive line coach Thomas Austin, who told Pringle that he’s making plans to travel to Woodland and see Pringle at some point during his team’s spring practices that are getting underway this week.

Pringle (6-7, 315) told TCI that his relationship with Austin has “been growing” and he appreciates the transparency that Austin has with him during their conversations.

“Every time we talk, he tries to make sure I feel as if he’s keeping it real and not changing how things are or portraying it to be something else,” Pringle said. “So, he tries to be straightforward and as transparent as possible.”

Pringle most recently visited Clemson on March 12 and said that while he doubts he’ll compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp again in June (he camped last summer), he’ll likely return to campus for another visit this summer.

Pringle, who has picked up around two dozen offers, named Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan State and Florida as some of the schools he feels are coming after him the hardest right now.

As of now, Pringle said, he expects to be committed to a school before his senior year and is thinking he’ll make a decision in January or sometime at the beginning of 2023.

Clemson hasn’t yet offered Pringle, or any other offensive lineman in the 2024 class for that matter, but Pringle told us the Tigers are “definitely” one of his top 10 schools right now.

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.

Fast-rising Alabama WR building relationship with Grisham; likely to visit Clemson this summer

Clemson is showing interest in a fast-rising receiver from the state of Alabama. The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Moody (Ala.) three-star receiver Davion Dozier, who has kept in constant contact with Tyler Grisham and is focusing on …

Clemson is showing interest in a fast-rising receiver from the state of Alabama.

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Moody (Ala.) three-star receiver Davion Dozier, who has kept in constant contact with Tyler Grisham and is focusing on building a relationship with Clemson’s wide receivers coach.

“They want me to get me up there on campus,” Dozier said. “I was supposed to be up there on (March) 5th, but I ended up going to Tennessee. I talk to Coach Grisham a lot on the phone, we text and we’re building a relationship.”

“Right now, we just talk,” he continued. “I was supposed to go see him, but I couldn’t make it up there.”

Clemson’s history at the receiver position is intriguing to Dozier, who describes himself as a big target, who can go up and get the ball and make all the necessary plays.

“He told me that he loves everything,” Dozier said of Grisham. “He told me that he’s been keeping track since my sophomore year. That’s when he first started and he told me that I’m getting bigger and better.”

Dozier thinks he’s close to earning an offer from Clemson, but acknowledged that Grisham has talked more to his head coach at Moody about it.

In any event, he’s started to see his recruitment pick up as he’s earned offers from schools like Maryland, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, South Florida, North Texas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama and Troy.

According to Dozier, these offers rolling in is just a matter of college teams getting a hold of his junior year film. He’ll be back at the University of Tennessee this weekend after visiting Knoxville back on March 5. Dozier also made his way to Georgia Tech on March 12.

Dozier estimates that he’ll be making his way up to Clemson this summer.

“It’s big,” he said in regard to receiving interest from Clemson. “I think I just have to go up there and camp with them. I just know it’s gonna be big and probably the best thing I’ve seen.”

— Photo courtesy of Davion Dozier

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Tennessee becomes first Power Five offer for 2023 Alabama wide receiver

Tennessee becomes first Power Five offer for a 2023 Alabama wide receiver prospect.

Second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his coaching staff continue to recruit future Vols.

Tennessee has offered a scholarship to 2023 wide receiver prospect Davion Dozier.

“I’m blessed to receive my sixth offer from Vol football,” Dozier announced.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Dozier is from Moody High School in Moody, Alabama. Former Georgia and UAB linebacker Jake Ganus was hired as Moody’s head coach in December.

Dozier has offers from Tennessee, South Florida, Georgia State, Arkansas State, North Alabama, Troy, North Texas and Eastern Kentucky.

Tennessee’s 2023 football commitment tracker

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