Texas Class of 2016 WR Kofi Boateng Discusses Verbal Commitment to Arkansas

Written by Ryan Wright

On Saturday Arlington Lamar High School senior wide receiver Kofi Boateng became the 13th verbal commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks 2016 recruiting class. The Hogs landed the 6’1”, 180 pound, receiver over offers from 30 other programs including Ole Miss, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Wisconsin, and Arizona State among others.

Boateng jumped on everyone’s radar after a junior season that ended with 66 receptions going for 1,023 yards with 15 touchdowns. The versatile athlete also had 14 carries for 158 yards with two additional scores.

The Razorbacks have recruited Boateng hard for months leading up to the big commitment. In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I sat down with Kofi to get the inside scoop on why he committed to the Hogs.

Interview
Kofi, first, congratulations on becoming a Hog. Woo Pig.

“Thank you.”

So, what influenced you to commit when you did?

“I’d say Coach Bielema and just the whole offensive and defensive staff. They’re always talking to me about how much they’re thinking about me and how much they wanted me to be a Razorback. That contributed to my commitment.”

How did the commitment to Arkansas take place?

“I thought about it for a few weeks. I slept and prayed on it and then I decided that is where I needed to be. I called Coach Bielema, I was on the phone with him and I talked to Coach (Michael) Smith, the receivers coach, and Coach (Jemal) Singleton, the running backs coach, and Coach (Dan) Enos, the quarterbacks coach and I told them I’m committed today. They were all excited and then I made it public.”

You said the reaction of the coaches was that they were excited. What did the coaches say to you after you committed?

“They told me that I was the guy they were waiting for at receiver and that I was at the top of their list. They let me know that they were excited that I was going to be a Razorback. They also said that I made the team a whole lot better by committing.”

How did you feel at that moment when you verbally committed to Coach Bielema? Were you nervous or excited?

“I was both nervous and excited. This is the first big decision I’ve had to make like this. I felt an immediate weight off my shoulders but I was really excited.”

Do you plan on recruiting other players to join you at Arkansas?

“Yes sir. I am. The first one is a kid from Southlake, Obi Eboh. He’s No. 23. He’s a cornerback for Southlake, Carroll (Texas).”

*Eboh has roughly 30 scholarship offers from teams like Arkansas, Cal, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Pitt, Washington, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Duke, and Boston College.

How are you going to pitch him on Arkansas?

“We’re really good friends. I’ll talk to him about possibly playing together at Arkansas, but I’m not going to force it on him. It’d be cool to play together in college. Hopefully Coach Singleton and Coach (Robb) Smith can stay on him a lot.”

When you committed yesterday it was on the heels of Ricky Town committing to Arkansas. Now the Hogs have the No. 5 (Town) and No. 6 (Ty Storey) ranked pro-style quarterbacks out of the 2015 class. Did that have anything to do with your commitment?

“It played somewhat of an impact on it but it wasn’t that big. Knowing that Ricky, Ty, and Rafe (Peavey) will be there, that’s really good. That’ll make it that much easier for me when I get up there.”

Have you had a chance to watch tape on fellow 2016 QB commit Cole Kelley (Teurlings Catholic, Lafayette, Louisiana)?

“Yes sir, I have. I’ve watched a little bit of his tape. He’s a good quarterback. He can maneuver really well in the pocket for a guy that is 6-foot 7-inches.”

I don’t know if you’ve thought about it yet but do you plan on taking all five of your official visits yet?

“I’ll have to see about my official visits. When I talked to Coach Bielema he expressed that he does not want me to go anywhere else for a visit. I’ll have to see about that. I’ll talk to my parents and talk to him about it to see if it’s okay. I’m solid on Arkansas so there will not be any teams that can pry me away from Arkansas. If it comes up I’ll talk to him but I don’t know yet.”

How does Arlington Lamar look heading into the 2015 season?

“We look really solid. Our defense is going to be our strongest point even though we have a good offense. We have a whole bunch of seniors that played last year that are returning. We have two really good defensive ends. We have Madre (Harper – Oklahoma State) at cornerback. We have some young kids that played JV last year. They know how to win. Our JV went undefeated last year. We are stacked on defense.

“We have Shane (Buechele) at quarterback (Texas commit). He can make plays with his feet as well. Our line is headed by Chris Owens (Alabama), he can do it all on the O-line. We have three running backs that will rotate. We had one that played last year, Rashod Polk. He’s a junior this year. We have another guy Ali Lancaster with two-three offers D-3 offers. We have a guy from our JV, Kendall (Burt). He will be the next guy out of Lamar to get an offer. He’s 6’1”, when he gets moving he’s about as fast as me. He’s got real good track speed. He’s close to 200 pounds. He can get out of the backfield with some speed.

“At wide receiver we have a lot of good seniors. I might be the main guy but when they double-team me the other guys will get open. I know those guys will get the ball and get yards and touchdowns. We have a lot of good players at receiver.”

One last question, what did you do last night to celebrate your commitment to Arkansas?

“I celebrated with friends and went to Whataburger.”

That sounds like a nice night.

“Yes it was.”

Good luck throughout your senior season, we’ll be cheering for you.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Kofi Boateng: Kofi at the University of Arkansas.