Connor Noland Gives Insight to Arkansas Razorbacks Commitment for Baseball and Football

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The average football or baseball fan does not have to have a psychic hotline on speed dial to know that the future is extremely bright for Connor Noland. Greenwood High School’s two-sport star in baseball and football has 15 total Division-I offers between the two sports but will not have to choice between one or the other after his verbal commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016, will be a day Noland will remember forever. His commitment to the Hogs went public then and as a special added occasion to the memory, it happens to be his 17th birthday. July 20, 2016, may also be a day Arkansas fans will remember forever with the promise of a dominating pro-style quarterback and power pitcher with control hitting the gun up to 90 miles an hour off the rubber heading to The Hill.

Arkansas fended off offers from teams like Kentucky, Ole Miss, Arkansas State, Missouri, Utah State, North Carolina, Penn State, Texas A&M, and UCLA on the football side and Northwestern, Tennessee, and New Mexico on the baseball side for Noland. The Class of 2018 talent committed privately to the baseball staff first Tuesday night and then to the football staff with his announcement going public via Twitter reading, “Proud to announce my commitment to play football and baseball for the University of Arkansas! #OmaHogs #Uncommon.”

In a Recruiting News Guru interview, I caught up with Noland minutes after his commitment went public to get the inside scoop on how everything went down.

Interview

Connor, what influenced you to commit to Arkansas today?

“I think hiring Coach (Wes) Johnson (pitching coach) was a great addition to baseball staff. When I talked to him we had a great meeting. I already liked the football staff with Coach (Dan) Enos (quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator) and Coach (Bret) Bielema.”

Why commit now? Was it one of those things that when you know you know?

“Yeah, I had the right feeling. I wanted to do it before football season began so I could focus on getting that ring.”

Did you commit today or last night?

“Last night.”

How did the commitment take place?

“I talked to my family first and then I called Coach (Dave) Van Horn (baseball head coach) first and then Coach Enos right after I got off the phone with him. It happened quickly. I was ready to commit to Arkansas.”

What was the reaction of Coach Van Horn when you committed?

“He was excited. He’s ready to coach me and get me in a Razorback uniform. That’s what he said.”

What about with Coach Enos?

“He was super excited and pumped up to have a quarterback recruit on the board so he can start getting guys around me in the class. He wants to take us to a national championship.”
How did you feel at that moment when you verbally committed?

“I was excited really. I had seen a lot of schools and seen a lot of places. It felt good knowing Arkansas is where I wanted to be. Playing both sports is something I have dreamed about since I was a kid. It hit me then that I will get to do both in college.”

Is there a sense of relief, that to some extent, your recruiting process is over?

“I think so. It is a fun process but it’s a tough and a hard decision to make. The rest of your life will be impacted off this decision. I’m glad it is over and I can move on now.”

Do you plan on recruiting other players to join you?

“Definitely. One of my goals in committing early was to get other guys in there to help build the program. Both coaches want to win a championship (Van Horn and Enos). Getting good guys in there to do that is part of the goal.”

Do you have any players in mind to pitch?

“Jaden Hill (Ashdown) is one of them on the baseball side. He’s a great player. He would be a great addition to the program. Nathan Page from Robinson, he’s a great wide receiver. He would be a good one for the football team.”

What are you going to do tonight to celebrate your birthday and your commitment?

“I’m going to have dinner with family and friends. We are going to enjoy ourselves a little bit and celebrate, but not too much just a little.”

Connor, congratulations on your commitment and have a great rest of birthday.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Noland family; Connor Noland at Arkansas.