Arkansas gets 4* DT Briston Guidry and 3* ATH TJ Hammomds

Guidry is a good get for Arkansas

Hammonds will most likely be bumped up to a 4* when it's all said and done. His stock has been sky rocketing lately.

nola.com article on Guidry committing

quote:

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A very busy offseason of evaluation came to a head Saturday when class of 2016 defensive lineman Briston Guidry committed to Arkansas.

Guidry, a rising senior at Rummel, was committed to Mississippi State for the majority of his junior season before backing out of his pledge the week before Christmas.

Already familiar with the Arkansas program, Guidry said there was a lot to like about the Razorbacks, including his fit within the team and the chances of earning playing time as a true freshman.

"They were a great fit for me academically and socially," Guidry said Saturday. "We (my family) already knew a lot about their football program. They're all about tradition, and it felt like home when I was up there. I love the coaches, and I can see myself playing early when I get up there."

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Guidry is the No. 13-ranked player in the 2016 NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Nifty 50 rankings.

Guidry was named to All-District 9-5A team and an All-Metro Large Schools selection by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, as well as a member of the Class 5A All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He was a part of an interior line with Missouri signee Tyrell Jacobs that Raiders coach Jay Roth once referred to as a "once in a lifetime" tandem.

The standout Rummel defender had garnered attention from a host of SEC programs since re-opening his commitment at the end of 2014. Both LSU and Alabama had extended scholarship offers to Guidry during that five-month span. Louisville, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma also expressed interest.

Guidry admitted the process had been a bit grueling at times, but when it came to making his decision only one program stood out from the pack.

"It's been hard, and I've I been thinking real hard about this," he said, referring to his decision. "I just felt it was right. I was taking it slow, but nothing felt like Arkansas."

When Roth got wind of Guidry's decision, he was anything but surprised.

Roth said it all boiled down to finding a college where Guidry would be most comfortable. To him, placing Guidry in Fayettesville -- alongside two former Raiders in Henre Toliver and Dwayne Eugene, as well as New Orleans native Michael Smith, the team's wide receivers coach -- was a natural fit.

"Michael Smith is able to relate to these kids because this is his home, and then Briston felt comfortable around him, Henre and Eugene," Roth said. "It's about finding out where he was most comfortable, so his guys are up there and he can talk to them. He's been up to Arkansas as much as anywhere he's been.

"So between coach Brett Bielema, going to practices and visits this spring, I'm not surprised. I'm surprised he committed this early, and I'm not surprised it was to Arkansas."

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Bert