Connor Howes was impressed with everything when he officially visited Arkansas a few weeks ago, and the topper was the offensive line coaching setup.
Not only does the St. Cloud (Fla.) High offensive lineman have a belief in offensive line coach Eric Mateos’ ability to develop players, the idea of coach Sam Pittman having a decades-long background as an offensive line coach is a bonus he could not pass up.
Howes announced his commitment to the Razorbacks moments ago, and the duo of Pittman and Mateos was a big part of his decision.
“It means a lot,” Howes said. “It means he cares. I want a coach that has a personal relationship with you as an offensive lineman, and that means a lot to me. He helps out with the o-line during practice.
“It’s two coaches who are on the same page teaching you. You have two pairs of eyes on you, so it’s better.”
During the process, Howes became comfortable with Mateos.
“I am really big with creating a relationship with the coach,” Howes said. “At the end of the day, you are going to be with the o-line coach more than you are with any other coach so if you can’t create a relationship with him, a bond with him, then that is not the right school for you.”
Howes was named first-team all-Conference following his junior season.
Here’s everything you need to know:
WHAT CONNOR HOWES SAYS ABOUT ARKANSAS
“Just the environment,” he said. “Between the coaches and getting to hang out with the players and how they interact with each other, and the facilities, the education — I got to speak with some of the people in academics — everything about it was amazing to me.”
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE MIX?
He was going to visit NC State and Ole Miss during the last two visits weekends in June, but he canceled those and concentrated on Arkansas and Rutgers. Howes made an official visit to Arkansas May 31-June 2, and he was at Rutgers June 7-9. After those trips, Howes decided to take time and make a decision rather than make other visits.
WHERE CONNOR HOWES RANKS AS A RECRUIT
Howes has a 247Sports grade of 88, which makes him the No. 53 player in Florida and No. 38 offensive tackle in the nation. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite has Howes as the No. 347 player in the class of 2025.
HOW CONNOR HOWES FITS WITH ARKANSAS
Arkansas is building its offensive line class in June. Howes is the third member of the unit to commit this month as he joins Owasso (Okla.) High’s Blake Cherry and Carthage (Texas) High’s Kash Courtney. The Razorbacks entered the third official visit weekend of June with nine commitments.
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT CONNOR HOWES
During an in-person evaluation in the spring, 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins was impressed with Howes’ versatility.
“He’s an athletic offensive line prospect with very favorable features that can play multiple spots up front including right tackle,” Ivins said. “Caught our eye right away at Under Armour Next Camp in Orlando back in February where he tested off the charts. Over 6-foot-5 and carries 300 pounds way better than most.
“Serviceable kick-step at this stage and should only get better in pass protection with some seasoning. Aggressive punch. It might not be a perfect comp, but similar in some ways to former Arkansas lineman Hjalte Froholdt. “
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