FAYETTEVILLE — Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic Class of 2023 defensive lineman Kaleb James was among the top performers at Arkansas on Saturday.

James, 6-5, 250, is seeing Arkansas for the second time this weekend.

“So, I visited Arkansas in the middle of COVID,” James said. “I just visited the campus and stuff, and I think it’s one of the nicest campuses I’ve visited so far. It’s super-pretty, the weather is always pretty good, and I just feel like the culture is really good. This almost feels like home to me.”

The first visit was July 24 when he was on a fishing trip with his father. James worked with Jermial Ashley, Arkansas’ defensive line coach, at Saturday’s camp and that proved beneficial for him.

“He gave me a lot of tips,” James said. “He’s definitely a very good coach that I want to be around and be with in the future.”

James had a very productive sophomore season. He finished with 57 tackles, 33 solo, 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and one fumble recovery.

What would an offer from the Razorbacks mean to you?

“An offer from Arkansas would mean a lot, because it is definitely one of my top five schools,” James said.
“It’s one of my schools that I’m looking at the most.”

Since this is your second visit, what is it about Arkansas that gets you so interested?

“I feel like this place gives off a vibe that just feels like home,” James said. “Everybody’s really laid back, relaxed, everybody’s chilled out, but they like hard work, as well.”

What are the schools you plan to visit next?

“I’ll be at Texas Tech tomorrow,” James said. “I’ll be visiting OU and Texas soon.”

In addition to the new offer from Arkansas, James currently has offers from UTSA, Arizona State, North Texas, Minnesota, Kansas State, Boston College, Colorado, SMU, Utah, Maryland, Virginia, Cincinnati, UConn, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Houston, Baylor and Illinois State.