Miami tailback big on Hogs’ run game

ESPN 4-star running back Javin Simpkins was planning to visit the University of Arkansas on Saturday, but he will come later after running backs coach Jimmy Smith wanted him to visit for a spring practice.

Simpkins, 5-9, 177 pounds, of Miami Norland, has 21 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Texas, Louisville, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Central Florida, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Indiana and others. He plans to attend a Rivals camp on Sunday.

His relationship with Smith is a big reason he is high on the Razorbacks.

“What I really like about him is how he is as a person,” Simpkins said. “He’s a really laid-back dude. He’s really straightforward.

“He’ll tell you what it is even if you don’t like it. He’ll tell you what it is, because he doesn’t just want to talk about the good stuff and give you the good stuff you want to hear. He’s going to tell you what you need to do. That’s the type of coach I would like to be around.”

While his relationship with Smith is excellent, he wants to develop more of a bond with the other coaches when he does make his way to Fayetteville.

“I really want to meet the other coaches, because those are the guys I’m going to be around.” Simpkins said. “I’ll mainly be around Coach Smith, but I’m going to be around those guys, too. I want to meet those guys and see their energy and see what I like about them and the bond I can build with them, too. I want to get a feeling for everybody in the program.”

ESPN also rates Simpkins the No. 8 running back and No. 142 overall prospect in the nation for the 2023 class. He is the No. 29 prospect in Florida.

Simpkins missed 4 games due to injury, but he still rushed 49 times for 512 yards and 3 touchdowns, and 11 catches for 115 yards and 3 touchdowns as a junior. He totaled 1,124 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore.

The Razorbacks’ rushing attack that led Power 5 schools last season in yards per game makes Arkansas attractive.

“They really run the ball,” said Simpkins, who will be accompanied by his parents on his trip. “They run the scheme I’ve been running since I’ve been in high school. That’s a plus for me. They use their running backs. Things like that stand out a lot to me.”

Simpkins, who has a 3.2 grade-point average, is considering majoring in business and is looking forward to learning more about the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

“They know I want to major in business, so they’ll give me a rundown on their business program,” Simpkins said. “At the end of the day, my main thing really is the education side, because at the end of the day football doesn’t last forever and I want to have something after football that’s going to keep me going and keep be financially stable.”

His bonds with Smith, Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice and Louisville running backs coach De’Rail Sims stand out, but the Southern Cal running backs coach has also impressed him.

“I talk to Coach [Kiel] McDonald from USC a lot, too,” Simpkins said. “He hasn’t offered yet, but he’s been talking to me a lot lately.”

He committed to Choice at Georgia Tech, but when he left to go to Southern Cal, Simpkins re-opened his recruitment on Dec. 12. Choice then left Los Angles about a week later to be on Texas’ staff.

Simpkins visited Florida State over the weekend and has plans to visit Central Florida.

“I think I’m going to do Texas maybe in April and Ole Miss in April, too,” Simpkins said.