FAYETTEVILLE — Siloam Springs’ Hunter Talley has accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Arkansas.
Talley, 6-4 1/2, 210, played quarterback for Siloam Springs, but will be converted to tight end at Arkansas. As a senior, Talley passed for 2,221 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 1,162 yards and 20 touchdowns. Talley committed Sunday morning then tweeted it out in the afternoon.
Arkansas offered Talley on Nov. 6 and he talked about how this has been a dream for him.
“It’s always my dream to play for the Hogs since I was little,” Talley said. “I fell in love with football watching the Razorbacks play when I was little. That’s where I always wanted to be.”
Arkansas is 8-4 and headed to the Outback Bowl. Talley is obviously impressed with his future school’s season.
“They’ve done a great this year,” Talley said. “They’ve got three trophies in there.”
Talley talked about how Sam Pittman and Dowell Loggains plan to convert him to tight end.
“I went to camp over the summer,” Talley said. “I asked Coach Pittman where I had a better chance of being recruited as a quarterback or tight end? He told me tight end so I put some gloves on and worked at tight end at that camp. I ended up liking what I had to do at the position.”
Loggains came to Arkansas this past summer to coach the tight ends. The former Razorback has made a strong impression on Talley.
“I think Coach Loggains is a really great guy,” Talley said. “I’m excited to play for him.”
Talley is leading to reporting in the summer so he will concentrate on reporting in good shape at that time.
“I will probably report in the summer,” Talley said. “We talked about me possibly going midterm, but for me as a preferred walk-on I will rely on academic scholarships. If I go at midterm I will lose the freshmen academic scholarships. So I will probably just be running track in the spring.”
Talley currently runs a 4.7 in the 40-yard dash. Track this spring semester may help in that regard as well.
“I think track will definitely help me get down to that 4.6 range before I report to campus,” Talley said.
While he is at 210 now, he and Loggains discussed his weight as well earlier today.
“Coach Loggains said that’s not something to be concerned with right now,” Talley said. “He told me just be worried about being track guy I can be for Siloam this year. That means I’ll probably go back down to 205. He said once I get on campus and work with a nutritionist they’ll get me where I need to be.”
Arkansas’ PWO Commitments:
Mason Schueck, LB, 6-2, 220, Pulaski Academy
Briggs Magee, LS, 6-2, 220, Georgetown, Texas
Ethan Joseph, LB, 6-1, 210, Alpharetta King’s Ridges Christian, Ga.
Hunter Talley, TE, 6-4 1/2, 210, Siloam Springs
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