Interview: Under the radar Arkansas WR Tobias Enlow seeing stock rise entering senior season

Written by Ryan Wright

The 2014 season was an odd season for the North Little Rock football team to say the least. The Charging Wildcats ended up with an 11-2 record making a deep run into the Arkansas state playoffs but then controversy struck. Head coach Brad Bolding was involved in an alleged pay-to-play scandal with top wide receiver K.J. Hill, a scandal that broke right before National Signing Day 2015. With the controversy K.J. Hill left the state of Arkansas for Ohio State, Brad Bolding was dismissed, and much of the season to remember for the Charging Wildcats and their fans was wiped off the record books.

A fresh new beginning is already underway with Jamie Mitchell taking the helm of North Little Rock High School’s football program in 2015. Along with it is a new offensive scheme that promises to be more explosive than the already dynamic offenses NLR was producing year after year. One of the dynamic holdovers from last season is Class of 2016 wide receiver Tobias Enlow.

Enlow is the prototypical college and NFL wide receiver. Listed at 6’2”, 188 pounds, the speedster with a reported best 4.41 forty-yard dash time also has oven mitts for hands. At the end of his junior season he had 16 receptions for 185 yards with two touchdowns, thus the reason many people in recruiting circles are unaware of who Enlow is. The missing piece of information, Enlow only missed one pass in 2014 with Hill getting the lion’s share of looks.

Not to gush but football is all about the numbers, Enlow is physically strong for the position registering a bench press max of 255 pounds and a squat max of 365 pounds.

Some colleges have already taken notice of Enlow’s abilities. To date five schools have offered scholarships: Southeastern Missouri State, Missouri State, Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, and Arkansas Tech. More schools could be on the verge of offering with Mississippi State, Memphis, Louisiana Tech, and in-state power Arkansas all showing various levels of interest, especially the Razorbacks.

Without mincing words, Enlow tore it up during an Arkansas camp in late June firmly jumping on the radar of college coaches throughout the region. He showed out at one of Mississippi State’s camps getting a pulled aside private conversation there as well.

Enlow is in a unique position entering the 2015 season with a new head coach, a new offensive scheme to flourish in, and a chance to be the No. 1 option for North Little Rock’s passing attack. Enlow is poised for a breakout senior season which could send even more college coaches to central Arkansas in search of a playmaker at the next level.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I sat down with Tobias to go over his growing skill set at the high school level, how his offseason has gone in preparation for his senior campaign, and got an up to date rundown on where his recruiting stands before the recruiting dead period ends.

Tobias, so much went on with the Charging Wildcats team last season, what did you learn from all the ups and downs?

“The thing I learned the most was just play as a team. Football is a team sport. If you play as a team you’re most likely going to win the game. That’s what I learned. I also learned to take your time, last year I played behind K.J., I had to play behind him and wait my turn to do whatever I can do to help the team. That’s pretty much all that I learned.”

One thing I noticed about you right off the bat was that you are one hell’uva downfield blocker which college coaches will love about you when they see you play. From a positional standpoint what are some of the things you learned last year that are important to you as a wide receiver?

“From a positional standpoint, if you block hard every play and go full speed every play when I run my routes he (cornerback) won’t know if I’m going to run block or run full speed down field. One thing my receiver coach told me was to keep doing the same thing every play and the defender won’t know what you’re doing. Also when you block them, manhandled them and that is pretty much what I did last season.”

I know Jamie Mitchell is your new head coach. Is Mitchell changing up the offense from the previous season?

“Yes sir he is. Everything is changing. We’re running spread and no-huddle a lot. We are still running the ball a lot but he really is a passing type of coach. He likes to air it out.”

What are your goals for the 2015 season?

“My prediction for this year, we’ll go past the semifinals. We all believe that we’ll go past the semifinals this year. We have a better offensive and defensive scheme this year. We’ll put more points on the board and stop other teams a lot better. I think we’ll become a better team this year.”

Do you have a stat line goal you want to hit? In a new offense with a coach that has a passing mentality you could have a phenomenal senior season.

“No not yet. My goal is to give me all every game to help the team win.”

We know you’re locked in at wide receiver but will we see you on defense or special teams during the upcoming season?

“My role has changed, I’m still playing receiver but I will not be playing defense. I will be on kickoff and punt return this season. I’m looking forward to that. (Laughs) I really like punt returns, I’m going to have a lot of fun with that.”

What have you been doing in the offseason to prepare for your senior year?

“Just staying hydrated so I can run a lot. You know receivers run a lot so I have to have that endurance so I am not tired during the game. I’m lifting but I’m not lifting too heavy because I don’t want to be too big or too heavy.”

You have five offers from Southeastern Missouri State, Missouri State, Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, and Arkansas Tech but the big news was your camp performance at Arkansas. How did the Arkansas camp go for you?

“The Arkansas camp went really well. There was a lot of competition. I like a lot of competition because it really gets me pumped up to show what I can do with the best of the best. I felt really good out there especially when they told me I ran a 4.41.”

Was the 4.41 forty-yard dash the fastest you’ve ever been timed at a camp?

“Yes sir, that is the fastest I’ve ever ran.”

Interest in you has skyrocketed lately. What other schools are showing new interest in you right now?

“Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State, lately, that’s pretty much it right now.”

Where did Arkansas leave everything with you after the camp?

“Coach B, Coach Bielema (Arkansas head coach) talked to me, he’s a real cool guy. When he talked to me he told me after our dead period he wanted me to come back sometime in late July to have a campus tour and talk to me more about if they are going to offer me or not. So, I’m just waiting for the dead period to end so I can go back.”

Let’s work off what could be a very real hypothetical. Let’s say at the end of your senior year you have 10 offers to schools that are all very good programs and universities. What are some of the things that would influence you about how you would pick where you will play your college ball?

“The players and the crowd. I try not to size schools off the coaches because sometimes players pick colleges based on the coaches and the coaches end up getting fired or something. I try to pick a school off the community and the players so I can see if I fit in and everything.”

What other camps did you attend this summer other than the Arkansas camp?

“I went to the Memphis camp, Mississippi State camp, Southeast Missouri, Missouri State, Arkansas Tech, LA Tech, OBU (Ouachita Baptist), Henderson State’s camp and I think that’s it.”

How did the Mississippi State camp go?

“The Mississippi State camp went very well. I think I ran a 4.5 something. The coaches told me they’re going to keep in touch. Recently they invited me back to one of their elite camps. They told me they are going to keep in touch and said I had a real good day with them showing them my route running and hand-eye coordination.”

What about the Louisiana Tech camp? How did that go for you?

“Louisiana Tech, they said the same thing that they’d keep in touch. They liked what they saw and they’re just waiting on game film. That’s pretty much it.”

When you watch football during the season on Saturdays or Sundays is there a player out there that you study to learn more about your position?

“(Laquon) Treadwell, the receiver from Ole Miss, I really like him. He’s flexible. He can adjust to the game situation. If you need a big play he’ll make it or if you need a big block he’ll make it. That’s one person I look at a lot because he’s really not that big but he’s strong and he can take control of the defender and do anything he wants with him.”

Do you play any other sports for North Little Rock?

“I used to run track but I didn’t this year. I took it off to focus on football but after my senior season in football I’ll run track again.”

Who has made the biggest impact on your football career?

“Who has had the biggest impact? I’d have to say my parents (mom – Tia and stepdad – Chris) because they got me to do what I wanted to do. They tell me to give my all. At the end of the day if I do good or bad they still have my back. They take me everywhere and spend a lot of money for camps and training. I repay them by doing my best out there and getting scholarships just to pay them back.”

You have a connection to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Farod Jackson (fullback at Arkansas from 2003-2007).

“Yes, that’s my oldest brother.”

What has Farod told you about the recruiting process?

“I always talk to my brother, always. He tries to help. He tells me to stay humble because he was in the same situation that I was. He had a lot of offers too coming out of high school. He said the main thing is don’t pick a school because of the coach. Look deep, see what they major in for you because at the end of the day it’s all about your education. He also said to look at the school, the community, and the players and choose what is best for you. That’s all he pretty much has told me.”

Photo credit: studentsports.com; Tobias at a Nike Opening camp
Photo credit: Tobias Enlow with Coach Bret Bielema.
Photo credit: twitter.com; Tobias with Arkansas receiver Keon Hatcher.