Interview: Arkansas Class of 2017 DT Akial Byers Gives Recruiting Update

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

When it comes to recruiting rankings for certain players, the best thing to do sometimes is throw them out the window. This action holds true with Class of 2017 defensive tackle Akial Byers. Byers already has one thing going for him, widely considered the top rated player in the state of Arkansas for his class regardless of position, but he has not quite felt the love from recruiting services in the rankings among his peer group listed as just a 3-star. All of that is about to change.

When Byers completed his junior campaign for Fayetteville High School he was in the neighborhood of 6’4”, 250 pounds. The Bulldogs were loaded with talent, but the play up front on defense with Byers plugging holes, pressuring quarterbacks, and stuffing plays behind the line of scrimmage helped Fayetteville to a 13-2 record and a state title. Byers is now 6’4”, 282 pounds, and is ready to demonstrate his talents against national competition at the Nike Opening Regional in Dallas.

On the collegiate side of interests, Mississippi State was the first team to offer but the list has grown since with 12 total programs seeing the budding talents in Byers. The suitors include Alabama, Arkansas State, South Carolina, Missouri, Ole Miss, Memphis, Iowa State, Purdue, and Oklahoma. Notre Dame is showing interest, as is Arkansas but the Razorbacks have yet to offer the area talent.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Byers ahead of his weekend visit to Alabama and fresh off a visit to Arkansas to get caught up on his recruitment to date.

Interview

Akial, with your offseason workouts in full swing, what is your height and weight right now?

“I’m at 6-4, 282 pounds.”

Is that all good weight up from 250 pounds?

“Yeah, I’m all muscled up.”

How many offers do you have right now?

“I have 12 offers.”

Have you taken any unofficial visits this offseason?

“I just took one to Arkansas over the weekend.”

How did that visit go?

“It went good, but they still have not offered me yet.”

Have they talked to you about where you stand receiving an offer from them?

“Not really.”

When you’ve talked to them about the program and in regards to recruiting, what have they told you?

“They want me to feel at home or whatever. I’m from right here in their backyard. When I left they said we’ll see you soon.”

So they have not told you why they have not offered you yet?

“No.”

How are you feeling with the recruiting process from Arkansas?

“It’s frustrating. I have no clue why they haven’t offered me yet.”

Say they offer you in a couple of weeks or a couple of months even, will you feel bitter about how long this process has taken without them talking to you about it first?

“Yeah.”

We’ll move on to other things. You have an unofficial coming up to Alabama right?

“Yeah, this weekend. I leave on Friday. Next weekend I might be going to Missouri.”

Are you excited about the Alabama trip?

“Yeah, I’m very excited.”

Is there an event going on with Alabama this weekend like a Junior Day?

“I’m not sure. They told me my quarterback (Taylor Powell) is going down on Friday. I talked to my mom about it and she agreed to let me go.”

When you’ve talked to Alabama about the recruiting process, what have they talked to you about in that regard?

“A bunch of coaches from Alabama have been talking to me. They like the way I play. They tell me I could be one of those guys that play there.”

Of the schools that have offered you, which ones are pushing the hardest right now?

“Arkansas State and Washington State are showing the most love.”

What about the schools that have not offered yet?

“Arkansas and Notre Dame, that’s all I can think of right now.”

Do you have a timeline for when you want to commit?

“I have not thought about that.”

Have you started putting together a top list of schools yet?

“I have but I’m still getting it together. I’ll release one soon.”

What camps are you going to coming up?

“I might be going to the Opening Regional Dallas.”

You’ve added a lot of weight this offseason, as you said all muscled up. What have you been doing in your offseason workouts?

“Whatever our strength and conditioning coach has for us. Sometimes on Saturday, I go to the gym by myself.”

What is your bench and squat max now?

“My bench is 275 and my squat is 435.”

Have you ran a 40-yard dash lately and if so what did you clock?

“I have, I ran a 4.9.”

That’s impressive, especially for your size. What are some of your offseason workout goals? Do you have a weight gain goal in mind or are you going to let it happen naturally?

“To be honest, I have not thought about my weight gain goal. I’ll let it happen naturally. I want to get my bench up to 300 by the season. I want to improve my footwork as well.”

I always like to know how things are going in the classroom. Do you have a GPA you don’t mind sharing?

“I don’t know what my GPA is right now.”

Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?

“I took the ACT a week ago but the scores have not come in yet.”

Do you feel like you did well?

“Yeah, I feel like I did well.”

Are you playing any spring sports for Fayetteville?

“I’m in track. I’m throwing shot. Our first meet is Thursday but we might not have it because it has been storming lately.”

What distance have you been hitting in practice with the shot so far?

“I’ve been throwing 45 feet. That’ll be like second or third in conference.”

Akial, thanks for your time today. Good luck with your visit to Alabama over the weekend.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: twitter.com; Akial Byers at Arkansas.

Photo credit: Byers family; Akial on the field for Fayetteville High School.