North Little Rock WR Tobias Enlow Recaps Arkansas Visit

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

North Little Rock High School Class of 2016 wide receiver Tobias Enlow is on the horns of a dilemma. The 6’2”, 188 pound, receiver knows he has Division-I talent and abilities but a knee injury stopped him from showing off that next level skillset during his senior year. FBS coaches have shied away from extending full-ride offers but FCS programs have not leading to a tough decision as National Signing Day approaches.

Enlow has offers from Southeastern Missouri State, Missouri State, Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, Arkansas Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, and Central Arkansas largely based on three things, size, speed – clocked at a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash pre-injury, and a junior season stat line that included 16 passes caught for 185 yards with two scores while only dropping one pass. The hitch in the potential plan is a preferred walk-on offer from the Arkansas Razorbacks that would allow Enlow to fulfill his dreams of playing Division-I football at a top program but must go through the proving grounds of the Razorbacks’ football practices for the right to earn a scholarship somewhere down the road.

The Razorbacks used part of the Jan. 16 weekend to host potential walk-on recruits in an effort to expand top talent to their program. Enlow was one of the many to take the time to learn more about the Fayetteville campus, see the facilities, and talk one-on-one with the various coaches and some of the players about the opportunities Arkansas presents to walk-ons.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Enlow after his unofficial visit to Arkansas over the weekend to get his insight on his time with the Razorback coaching staff and get an update on his thoughts on the trip overall.

Interview

Tobias, overall how did the visit to Fayetteville go for you this weekend?

“It went well.”

Walk me through your visit if you don’t mind.

“They wanted us to be there early, so we got there around 9:30 Saturday morning. We met with all the other walk-ons and sat waiting for a while. Then they walked us through the facilities – I’ve seen it all about 1,000 times but I still did it. We saw all the equipment, locker rooms, stuff like that.”

Did you learn anything new during your visit?

“Yes sir, I actually did. I talked to some of the players that came in as walk-ons. They said they were not treated differently because they were walk-ons but treated the same as scholarship players. The message was you have to work hard for what you get. That was pretty much it. Work hard and you’ll do well.”

Did you get any one-on-one time with any of the coaches?

“Yes sir, I did. I sat down for a while with Coach B. (head coach Bret Bielema). He spoke with me and my parents for a while. He talked about the options he was giving us for me to go to the Hill. We talked to Coach (Dan) Enos too, he was really funny. Coach Enos is a really cool guy. We also talked to the wide receivers coach, Coach (Michael) Smith.”

You said Coach B. presented some options to you and your family. What options was he talking about?

“He was talking about options like, waiting for a while, working hard, and earning my scholarship. We talked about sitting out for a while and redshirting.”

So the idea is you would redshirt your freshman year but still get the chance to earn a scholarship during that time?

“Yes.”

You mentioned Coach Enos was funny. What did he have to say that stood out to you?

“The one thing that stood out, he said he does not care if a player is a walk-on or on scholarship. Once you’re on campus it is all the same and everyone starts with a clean slate. He said he’ll put the best player on the field, whoever he is comfortable playing.”

Some of the Arkansas players spoke to everyone. How did that go?

“There were a lot of players in the room, some of them former walk-ons. Drew Morgan (wide receiver) was in there talking to us too.”

Did you get to talk to some of the other recruits about the opportunity Arkansas was presenting everyone as walk-ons?

“Yes sir. I talked to a couple Graham Morgan (Drew Morgan’s brother, WR Greenwood). We are close friends. We sat down and talked about walking-on. We had a long conversation about it.”

What other recruits where there that you can recall?

“I knew the linebacker from Benton, (Ben) Brasuell (6-1, 215), and the offensive tackle from Maumelle, Tyler Hall (6-6, 290). He’s real good.”

After your visit, how are you feeling heading into your other upcoming visits with Southeast Missouri and Central Arkansas?

“I’m feeling pretty good about it. I have a lot to think about, but I’m feeling good about the whole thing.”

What’s up next for you?

“I’m just waiting to take officials to SEMO and UCA.”

Tobias, good luck with your next two visits and with the tough decision you have coming up.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Enlow family; Tobias with Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema.