Christopher Paul commits to Arkansas

Christopher Paul Jr., a 6-1 235- pound inside linebacker commits to become a Razorback.   Paul is from Cordele (GA) Crisp County is now the 13th verbal commitment for the Razorbacks in the Class of 2021.  Thursday evening Paul officially made his pledge known viaTwitter.

Paul ranks as the No. 713 prospect in the nation, the No. 30 inside linebacker and the No. 60 prospect in the state of Georgia.  Paul de-committed from Nebraska on June 18th after committing to the Cornhuskers just three months before.  Since that commitment, offers rolled in from Louisville, Tennessee, Minnesota and most recently our Razorbacks on June 25th.  Offers from Cincinnati, Michigan State, TCU, UCF, and West Virginia also came with the Hogs invite.  Arkansas being in the top 4 of his favorites.

“I would like to thank my Lord and Savior for giving me the unbelievable attributes to be the young man I am today.  To my teammates, I want to thank y’all for always being with me through the good and bad.  To my coaches, I want to thank you for working with me and building me into that player I am today.  My family, I want to thank you for unconditional love and guidance through this whole process.  My Crisp County community, thank you for showing me what it is to have a great support system.”  Paul stated on Twitter.

“Y’all are unbelievable, and I love you all for being here not only for me but for each other, as well!  Lastly, I want to thank the coaches who gave me the opportunity to play at the next level.  With that being said, I would love to announce that I will continue my academic and football career at… The University of Arkansas !! Go Hogs!!”

Paul is the third linebacker commitment for the Class of 2021. His Crisp County team went 11-4 last season as he racked up 157 tackles himself, 10 tackles for loss with 4.5 sacks.  As a sophomore, he helped the team to a Georgia AAA state runner-up finish and made 94 stops, 12 TFLs and 6.5 sacks.  With his size at 6-1 235 he ran the 40-yard dash in a great time of 4.66 seconds and had a 30.5- inch vertical, the vertical while weighing 209 pounds. 

The Hogs have obviously been thin at linebacker for the past few years but Coach Sam Pittman and his coaching staff have been trying to address those needs especially in this class.  In the Class of 2020, Arkansas enrolled three linebackers out of high school to go with grad transfer Levi Draper.  Draper came to Arkansas from Oklahoma and will have two years of eligibility left.  

Arkansas is expected to have 10 scholarship linebackers on the roster when the season kicks off against Nevada on September 5th.