Home Care In Bixby, NC

By Mike Barnhardt

Enterprise Record

County commissioner Mark Jones knows.

Response time in a medical emergency is important.

“This group of unbelievable men and women have saved my life, and I will be forever thankful,” he said, while looking at members of the Davie EMS staff on hand for the groundbreaking of the county’s newest EMS station last week.

“Response time means something,” Jones said. “This is where the rubber meets the road.”

The new station is being built in the Bixby community, at Cornatzer and Howardtown roads. The EMS units now stationed at the Advance Fire Department will be moved there when the building is completed.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Joseph Ashburn, Davie EMS director. “It will help us provide quicker coverage for Advance, Cornatzer and Fork. We will be able to reach our citizens in a more timely manner.”

Ashburn, who was named to the job in November, said he hopes to continue the EMS excellence in Davie County set by his predecessors, who laid the foundation. Two of them – Dwayne Smith and Johnny Frye – were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony last week.

“If it weren’t for these guys, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Ashburn said. “I want to continue that legacy.”

The new station is being built with the EMT in mind, and EMTs were consulted in the design, Ashburn said. “This is their home every fourth day,” he said. “They eat here, sleep here, study here.”

County Manager Brian Barnett said he remembers sitting at his desk in Greenville, NC, prior to taking the job here, reading about Davie EMS.

“What a difference a year makes,” Barnett said. “We’ve come a long way in a year. My No. 1 priority is patient care – that we give top-notch care.”

Davie EMS has stations on Dr. Slate Drive in Mocksville (headquarters), on Farmington Road near NC 801, and on US 601 South near Greasy Corner. Barnett said the search is on for land for Station 5, which is likely to be in the western part of Davie County.

County commissioner Brent Shoaf said he has witnessed Davie EMS work for his family; and said it is much better than a private system, which he witnessed in another state. “This is important. We want you to be successful,” he said to the EMTs.

Commissioner Benita Finney agreed.

“Thanks for enduring temporary homes, and hope you will have a stable home now,” she said. “And I hope we start listening to your voices and give you what you need.”

“We’re thankful for the lives that will be saved by this place,” said Chris Cantrell, Hope Baptist Tabernacle pastor who said a prayer for the facility.

Sheriff’s Office

The following are from Davie County Sheriff’s Office reports.

July 16: suspicious activity, Turkeyfoot Road, Mocksville; larceny, Calvin Lane, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, North Koontz Road, Mocksville; larceny, US 158, Advance; fireowrks, NC 801 N., Mocksville; harassment, Windsor Circle, Bermuda Run; domestic disturbance, White Oak Lane, Mcoksville; larceny, Boxwood Church Road, Mocksville; larceny, Watt St., Cooleemee; harassment, Juney Beauchamp Road, Advance; damage to property, US 64 E., Mocksville; trespassing, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; sex offense, Tatum Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Softail Lane, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; harassment, Fairfield Road, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, Main Church Road, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, Fred Lanier Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Hillcrest Drive, Advance; harassment, Kilbourne Drive, Bermuda Run; suspicious activity, N. Main/Cemetery sts., Mocksville.

July 15: fireworks, Farmington Road, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, Hobson Drive, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, US 601 N., Mocksville; disturbance, Swicegood St., Mocksville; domestic assist, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; burglary, Junction Road, Mocksville; larceny, Cooper Creek DRive, Mocksville; larceny, Sain Road, Mocksville; disturbance, Fred Lanier Road, Mocksville; fraud, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; fraud, Milling Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Jericho Church Road, Mocksville; trespassing, Coventry Lane, Mocksville; sex offense, Holly Lane, Mocksville; disturbance, Yadkinville Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, NC 801 S., Cooleemee; domestic disturbance, Swicegood St., Mocksville.

July 14: larceny, US 601 N., Mocksville; burglary, Clark Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, US 158, Bermuda Run; suspicious activity, NC 801 S., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Patricia Way, Mocksville; damage to property, Liberty Church Road, Mocksville; suspicioius activity, Madison Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Salisbury Road, Mocksville; assault, Adams Road, Mocksville; domestic assist, Whitney Road, Mocksville; fraud, Yadkin Valley Road, Advance; suspicious activity, NC 801 S., Advance; larceny, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocsville; harassment, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Fork Bixby Road, Advance; assault, Enterprise Way, Mocksville; suspicious activity, US 601 N., Mocksville; domestic disturbance, Oak Tree Drive, Mocksville; sex offense, Milling Road, Mocksville; assault, Milling Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Bridgewater Drive, Bermuda Run; domestic disturbance, US 601 N., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; suspicious activity, US 601 N.,/Dakota Lane, Mocksville; suspious activity, US 158, Mocksville; harassment, Caravan Lane, Mocksville.

July 13: damage to property, US 601 N., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Redland Road, Advance; disturbance, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Sain Road, Mocksville; damage to property, Dianna Lane, Mcoksville; suspicious activity, NC 801 S., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; trespassing, Primrose Road, Advance; assault, I-40MM177, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Old Mill Road, Advance; assault, Milling Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Michaels Road, Mcoksville; disturbance, Duke Whittaker Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Sain Road, Mocksville; fraud, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; harassment, Madison Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Park Ave., Mocksville.

July 12: domestic disturbance, Peace Court, Advance; domestic disturbance, NC 801 S., Advance; suspicious activity, NC 801 S., Advance; harassment, Shuler Road, Mocksville; noise complaint, Wilkesboro St., Mocksville; harassment, US 64 E., Mocksville; disturbance, Sheffield Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Greenwood Ave., Mocksville; disturbance, Merells Lake Road, Mocksville; damage to property, Wilkesboro St., Mocksville; unauthorized use of vehicle, Aurora Lane, Advance; fraud, Dublin Road, Advance; domestic disturbance, Calvin Lane, Mocksville; larceny, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; disturbance, County Line Road, Harmony; suspicious activity, Tarue Lane, Mocksville; damage to property, Peter Hairston Road, Advance; disturbance, US 64 W./Calahaln Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Hillcrest St., Mocksville; larceny, NC 801 S., Cooleemee; suspicious activity, Old March Road, Advance; fraud, US 64 W., Mocksville; fraud, Gemstone Lane, Mocksville; assault, Calvin Lane, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Rainbow Road, Advance; damage to property, Cemetery St., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Center St., Cooleemee; suspicious activity, Country Lane, Mocksville.

July 11: harassment, Shadybrook Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Yadkinville Road, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, County Line Road, Harmony; dcomestic assist, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; disturbance, Bobbit Road, Advance; disturbance, Duke St., Cooleemee; larceny, Wilkesboro St., Mocksville; disturbance, Government Center Drive, Mocksville; fraud, US 158, Bermuda Run; suspicious activity, E. Lexington Road, Mocksville.

July 10: larceny, Cooper Creek Drive, Mocksville; domestic disturbance, Caravan Lane, Mocksville; disturbance, Laird Road, Advance; suspicious activity, Tatum Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, US 64 W., Mocksville; suspicious activity, Peter Hairston Road, Advance; suspicious activity, Point Road, Mocksville; suspicious activity, Davie Academy Road, Mocksville; harassment, Byerly’s Chapel Road, Mocksville; disturbance, Watt St., Cooleemee; trespassing, Yadkinville Road, Mocksville.

Arrests

The following were arrested by the Davie County Sheriff’s Office.

July 16: Drew Douglas Craver, 49, of Shady Lane, Advance, assault on a female, injury to property; Lauren Elizabeth Young, 30, of Lexington, injury to property.

July 15: Daniel Preston Johnson, 34, of Rockwell, failure to appear in court; Timothy Scott Zimmerman, 49, of Olin, probation violation, failure to return rental property.

July 14: Devon Marie Brooks, 38, of Willoughby, Ohio, assault; Thomas Brian Bumgarner, 42, of NC 801 S., Mocksville, probation violations; Natasha Joann England, 30, of Statesville, probation violations; Michael Dylan Minello, 20, of Willoughby, Ohio, assault on a female.

July 13: William Wade Disher, 59, of Fairway Drive, Bermuda Run, failure to appear in court; Jacob Cathell Hawks, 23, of Buck Hill Road, Mocksville, driving while license revoked; Tammy Lynette O’Neal, 53, of Foster St., Mocksville, defrauding innkeeper.

July 12: Ernest Lee Cain, 64, of Foster St., Mocksville, defrauding an innkeeper; Christina Renee Caudle, 38, of Hamptonville, possession of marijuana and paraphernalia; Jalyn Rose Chatman, 20, of Needmore Road, Woodleaf, failure to appear in court.

July 11: Frankie Dale Bolen Jr., 42, of Oak Tree Drive, Mocksville, attempted larceny; Cameron Dakota O’Neill, 25, of US 601 S., Mocksville, possession of marijuana; Donovan Andrew White, 34, of Cherry Hill Road, Mocksville, cyberstalking.

July 10: David Howard Bean, 26, of W. Maple Ave., Mocksville, assault on a female; Gregory Alan Cox Jr., 36, of Laird Road, Advance, assault on a female; Jeffrey Todd Rennix, 45, of McCullough Road, Mocksville, stalking; Jacob Robert Webb, 21, of Salisbury, driving while license revoked, reckless driving.

Building Permits

The following building permits were issued in Davie County and are listed by applicant, type of construction, estimated cost, and location.

– Greg Baer, Sunquest, Inc., in-ground fiberglass pool, $45,000, 149 Fox Trot Lane, Advance.

– NC Solar Now, solar array, $32,020, Triple Creek Trail, Mocksville.

– Pilcher Custom Builders, addition, $95,000, Woodhaven Lane, Mocksville.

– Spangler Restoration, renovation, $231,000, White Dove Way, Mocksville.

– ADT Solar, solar panels, $37,247, Juney Beauchamp Rd., Advance.

– Band of Brothers Construction, deck, $5,993, Sawgrass Dr., Advance.

– Trent Adams Properties, addition, $38,000, Hollybrook Dr., Bermuda Run.

– Trent Adams Properties, addition, $51,000, Warwicke Pl., Bermuda Run.

– Matt Hind, accessory structure, $11,700, N. Wentworth Dr., Mocksville.

– Capote Builders & Development, accessory structure, Duke St., Cooleemee.

– Diano Trejo, deck, $6,000, Will Boone Rd., Mocksville.

– Clayton Homes, off-frame modular home, $267,504, Liberty Church Rd., Mocksville.

– Amerimex Homes, addition, $191,340, Seaford Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, single family dwelling, $217,990, Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, single family dwelling, $193,043, Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, Inc., single family dwelling, $203,443, 1124 Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, single family dwelling, $195,643, Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, single family dwelling, $213,990, Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Sagamore Homes of NC, single family dwelling, $115,596, Baileys Chapel Rd., Advance.

– Matt Hind, accessory structure, $11,900, N. Wentworth Dr., Mocksville.

– Ryan Noble Construction, single family dwelling, $770,000, Delaware Ct., Mocksville.

– Thomas Greer, addition, $8,400, Rainbow Rd., Advance.

– Brian Tansey, single family dwelling, $200,000, Boone Farm Rd., Mocksville.

– Welcome Home Improvement, renovation, $55,850, S. Salisbury St., Mocksville.

– J. Reader Construction, single family dwelling, $420,000, Old Dutch Rd., Advance.

– Ramon Lomeli, addition, $7,500, Sweetgum Dr., Mocksville.

– True Homes, single family dwelling, $212,599, Sherwood Ct., Advance.

– True Homes, single family dwelling, $185,460, Sherwood Ct., Advance.

– Forrest Cranfill Construction, renovation, $90,000, Oak Valley Blvd., Advance.

– Marisela Rodriguez, addition, $50,000, Stone Wood Rd., Mocksville.

– Vernon Berghorn, finish single family dwelling, $30,000, US.158, Mocksville.

– Tommy Harris, in-ground pool, $28,645, Red Meadow Dr., Advance.

– Rajeshkumar Patel, addition, $3,000, E. Carmel Cove Dr., Mocksville.

– Greg Loflin, manufactured home, $150,000, Duke Whitaker Rd., Mocksville.

– John Venable, single family dwelling, $350,000, Carters Ridge Rd., Advance.

– Anthony and Sylvan Pool, in-ground pool, $102,203, Greene Ct., Mocksville.

– Jennifer Rock, above-ground pool, $5,699, Greenwood Ave., Mocksville.

– Band of Brothers Construction, deck, $15,457, S. Hemingway Ct., Advance.

– Groundworks North Carolina (Tarheel Basement Systems), renovation, $13,000, Cornatzer Rd., Advance.

– J. Reader Construction, single family dwelling, $400,000, Old Dutch Rd., Advance.

– Shelton Construction General Contractors, screened porch, $15,000, Fork Bixby Rd., Advance.

– Eric Cook, swimming pool, $29,750, 352 McClamrock Rd., Mocksville.

– Chad Forrest, shed, $9,000, Winding Creek Rd., Mocksville.

– Walter Anthony Sawyers, renovation, $43,000, 256 Boxwood Church Rd., Mocksville.

– Davie Construction Co., single family dwelling, $350,000, Hubert Rd., Mocksville.

– Andrew Saloma, Inc., single family dwelling, $500,000, Greenhill Rd., Mocksville.

– Greg Baer Clear-Cut Building, renovation, $125,000, Fulton Rd., Advance.

– JD Etchison Building Co., single family dwelling, $130,000, Creekside Dr., Mocksville.

– Marva Schaffer, addition, $19,000, US 158, Advance.

-Bob Kaine, garage with loft, $120,000, 205 Paso Forest Trail, Mocksville.

– Morgan & Parker Builders, addition, $15,500, Rabbit Farm Trail, Advance.

– Luke Campbell, renovation, $20,000, Godbey Rd., Mocksville.

– Al Cujas, metal garage, $28,000, Cana Rd., Mocksville.

– Shannan Devine, single family dwelling, $135,000, Loblolly Trail, Mocksville.

– Greg Parrish Builders of NC, single family dwelling, $490,000, Old Dutch Rd., Advance.

– SunLife Inc., screen room and patio cover, $27,837, Fostall Dr., Mocksville.

– Zach Brown, remodel retail phone store, $150,000, Cooper Creek Dr., Mocksville.

– Shelton Construction General Contractors, Inc., canopy, $60,000, Quality Dr., Mocksville.

– Trinity Baptist Church, modular classroom set up, $25,00, US 601 S., Mocksville.

– Davie Construction, shell building, $440,681, Quality Dr., Mocksville.

– Cianbro Corporation, temporary office trailer, 101 Bailey St., Mocksville.

– McCrory Construction, remodel, $1,966,000, Quality Dr., Mocksville.

– Hayco Construction, remodel, $300,000, Valley Rd., Mocksville.

– Windsor Contracting, new commercial, $16,059,120, Ashley Brook Lane, Mocksville.

– Miller Building & Remodeling, restroom, $81,100, US 64 E., Mocksville.

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The youth sports tournament season has begun in the Upstate, attracting teams every weekend of the summer and delivering a total economic impact that measures in the millions.

A youth baseball tournament, the Black Bear Classic, is under way now at 17 sites across five Upstate counties and has drawn 150 teams from all over the Southeast. An estimated 7,000 people, athletes and their supporters, are staying in area hotels and eating at restaurants.

Brett Bixby of Charlotte, N.C., is in Greenville for the weekend, staying at the Clarion off Haywood Road. He has two sons playing in the Black Bear Classic and will spend hundreds of dollars on food and accommodations before the tournament finishes Sunday. He said he likes Greenville, a city he had never visited, and compared it to a "mini-Charlotte" with all the cranes downtown.

"It's a lot," Bixby said of the commitment to be here, both in terms of time and money. "It's tough when you have both parents working, and you both want to be there. We're paying for a hotel room, gas, food."

Greenville County Sports Tourism Manager Jeff Poole estimated that the Black Bear Classic alone will have an economic impact of around $2.8 million on the region. Economic impact includes direct spending on lodging, transportation, entertainment, food and shopping. It also includes indirect spending as hotel and restaurant managers boost staff to accommodate the larger crowds.

Meanwhile, Greenville County coffers have gotten a roughly $138,000 boost in terms of taxes and fees associated with the tournament. This includes a $3,750 usage fee charged to promoter Prospect Sports to use county fields at Conestee and Northwest parks.

In Easley, Sports Tourism Director Scott Price said municipal park facilities typically charge low usage fees because the real goal is to bring in big tournaments for that broader economic impact. His department is hosting Big Bear Classic games at Alice Field and the J.B. Owens Sports Complex.

"We have people from all over the country who would never visit Easley otherwise," said Price.

Greenville County's Poole said his office runs a robust marketing effort to recruit tournaments to the area. His staff chases leads, attends youth sports trade shows, bids on some tournaments and maintains a page dedicated to tournaments on its website, https://greenvillerec.com, among other things.

His department currently has 100 events on their calendar using county facilities built or renovated in the past 10 years.

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The Team Greenville swim team also is hosting a meet — the Splash and Dash — this weekend at Greenville County's Aquatic Complex. Poole said this event expects to attract 400 swimmers competing over three days. That event's economic impact: $300,000. A lacrosse tournament, dubbed the South Carolina Shootout, took place June 3 and 4 at the county's MESA Soccer Complex brought in 99 teams and had an economic impact of $1.7 million.

A 2-percent hospitality tax raised about $40 million for work on all these facilities under the county's 2007 "TRAC" plan.

"These tournaments are the fruits of that construction phase," Poole said.

Easley's Price said the J.B. Owens complex has tournaments scheduled for every weekend this summer, including the first Senior League World Series to be held at the facility. The week-long series July 29 to Aug. 5, which targets boys ages 13 to 16, has served to replace the Big League World Series, which had targeted older kids but was disbanded last year. Easley will get national exposure with the Senior League tournament: ESPN will be televising it.

"It should be in line with what we have seen in the past — $700,000 in economic impact," Price said.

For their part, families coming to the tournaments said the expenditures in terms of travel, equipment and team fees — some running into the thousands — are worth it so long as their children's hearts are still in it.

Eric Hudson Sr., whose son Eric Jr. also plays on the Next Level team, said baseball is the most expensive sport, with every player needing bats, cleats, gloves and clean uniforms for every game. He said he looks for deals on equipment from Play It Again stores.

"I've spent $250 on wood bats!" he said. Eric Jr. dug into his equipment bag, smiled and held up his black Mizuno Bamboo Elite.

Next Level Baseball kids practice three times a week and travel to tournaments almost every weekend from June to August. When they are on the road, families socialize and eat meals together. The kids, who attend schools all over Charlotte, had to try out to get on the team; they were all smiles on Thursday standing next to their dads.

"Most of these (tournaments) are our vacation," said baseball dad Andre Grier of Charlotte, N.C. His son, Next Level infielder Christian, nodded his agreement. "They've got a lot more skate rinks here," he said.

Economic impact aside, the real business of the tournament is college recruiting. Florida-based Prospect Select Baseball organized the tournament and is hosting 10 youth travel-team tournaments across the country between June and September. Of the 17 sites where the Bear Claw Classic tournament games are taking place, nine are at colleges and universities, including Clemson, Anderson University, Southern Wesleyan, Wofford College, Presbyterian and Furman University.

"That's where (the players) get the most exposure," Bixby said. "Once spring ball is over, this is when the colleges can send their guys out to look at players."

Scouts were on site Thursday at Conestee Park with radar guns measuring pitch speeds. Bixby's oldest son, Michael, is 6 feet 4 inches tall; he pitches but also plays outfield and the occasional infield position. Kids like Michael, who are big and still growing have what scouts call "projectability," Bixby said.

"You've got 70 to 100 scouts looking at players on 150 teams," he said. "That's more than 1,500 players and about 600 games. The numbers are pretty staggering."

After an offseason that saw the Razorbacks wrap up a 2023 recruiting class that finished ranked No. 19 in the country and No. 9 in the SEC on Rivals, Arkansas is expected to feature some of its true freshmen in the season opener against Western Carolina on Saturday.

The only freshman listed as a starter on the Week 1 depth chart is Bixby, Oklahoma, native

Luke Hasz

. The four-star tight-end prospect was one of the top recruits in the 2023 class and his talent has been hard to miss since the spring.

"Ever since he came in here he’s worked his tail off," head coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday. "He loves football. His brother does, too. I think a lot came from who raised him and coming from Bixby High School. He’s a little older, he’s strong, can really run, and he’s got wonderful hands. I mean, he can catch everything. You guys have seen him in practice. He can catch everything."

As a senior at Bixby High School, Hasz tallied 35 receptions for 597 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 17.1 yards per catch. He chose Arkansas over offers from programs like Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State and much more.

"I think as a freshman you have to bring in that kind of mentality, that work mentality and physical play," Pittman said. "He’s going to be a much better player in two or three years than he is right now, but he’s a fine player now, because what keeps freshmen off the field is not knowing what they’re doing or not physically able to do it or the development is not quite there as fast."

"But his has been ever since he’s been here. Really excited to see what he can bring to us, maybe an extra dimension that we possibly haven’t had in the past."

Hasz isn't the only freshman fans should expect to see Saturday. Linebackers

Brad Spence

and

Alex Sanford

are two who will have a role — the former more so than the latter.

"Alex Sanford comes to mind if you’re talking about special teams role," Pittman said. "Spence is going to be more than that. I think he’ll play quality minutes at linebacker."

A native of Klein, Texas, Spence was a three-star prospect out of high school. Standing at 6-foot-2, 237 pounds, Spence already has the stature needed for an SEC linebacker. He totaled 85 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior at Klein Forest High School.

On the defensive line, Pittman mentioned

Quincy Rhodes

and

Ian Geffrard

as two who could see their names called Saturday afternoon.

At the defensive tackle spot, Geffrard has work to do if he wants major playing time this season. He's a guy with major potential, especially if he can shed some of his weight, as he checks in at 394 pounds. Pittman even said Geffrard was "a biscuit way from 400" during the summer.

Rhodes is another player who already has the size to play in the SEC. The former three-star prospect from North Little Rock stands at 6-foot-6, 289 pounds.

"Quincy Rhodes is a guy that’s going to play," Pittman said. "Ian Geffrard is going to play. Quincy could work his way up. I think he’s really a special talent."

The secondary is another spot that freshmen will contribute at during the 2023 season, probably more so than any other position group for the Arkansas defense.

"In the back end, Jaylon Braxton," Pittman said. "TJ Metcalf would be one."

Braxton, a four-star prospect from Frisco, Texas, was a talented two-player in high school. He caught 38 passes for 467 yards and two touchdowns while recording 27 tackles, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions.

Much like the secondary, the wide receiver group is one where freshmen could have a big impact on the offense. Davion Dozier and Dazmin James are in Arkansas' top six wide receivers, according to Pittman.

Coming from Moody High School, Dozier posted 59 catches for 1,325 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 22.5 yards per catch as a senior last season. The 6-foot-4 playmaker has showcased his wide catch radius during fall camp.

James was under-recruited out of Clayton High School in North Carolina despite reeling in 43 catches for 601 yards and five touchdowns last fall. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver is also a track star, as he ran times of 10.46 and 21.06 in the 100-meter and 200-meter, respectively. That elite speed has helped set him apart from the rest of the group.

Pittman said that the offensive line and running back groups were spots where freshmen wouldn't have much of an impact, likely due to the experience and depth already present in the respective rooms. The coaching staff is pleased with freshman running back Isaiah Augustave though, according to Pittman.

The freshmen and the rest of the Razorbacks will kick things off in three days on Saturday against Western Carolina at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Kickoff is set for noon CT and the game will be streamed on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.