Hogs Offer Rogers TE

ROGERS — Rogers junior Jake Byrne got an unexpected call while at the movies watching “Spiderman 3: Saturday night.

Byrne canceled the first call, but when the number popped back up on his cell phone a few minutes later the Mountaineers football player figured he better find out who was calling.

Arkansas assistant coach David Lee was on the other end of the line with a scholarship offer for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end.

“I thought it was a wrong number,” Byrne said Monday after an offseason workout at the Blackie Bond Fieldhouse. “Coach Lee said he had been watching film and was very impressed.”

Arkansas’ offer was the first for Byrne and Lee tried to get the him to commit to the Razorbacks. Byrne declined, however.

“I want to look at my other options but Arkansas is at the top of my list,” Byrne said. “Arkansas has a great coaching staff and a great program.”

Rogers coach Ronnie Peacock said coaches from Kansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas State have all expressed recent interest in Byrne.

“Arkansas State didn’t offer because they knew they didn’t have a chance to get him,” Peacock said. “They said he (Byrne) would get 11, 12 offers.”

Byrne earned All-Conference honors last year for a Rogers team that won the 7A-West Conference championship while advancing to the 7A Championship Game.