Arkansas, Marshall offer area kids

Three South Stanly players have been offered scholarships by Arkansas.

And Independence High linebacker Courtland Carson has landed his first offer, from Marshall.

The Razorbacks swept in Monday and offered South Stanly players Desmond Brown, Detric Allen and Justin Taylor, according to their coach, Luke Little.

The trio could wind up as a package somewhere; quarterback Brown and safety Allen have also been offered by East Carolina and Louisville, while TE/DE Taylor has a Louisville offer.

Brown, though, could receive an offer from Georgia Tech, his early favorite, soon. Little said Yellow Jackets recruiters have been to the school twice and have another visit scheduled.

As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Brown passed for 900 yards and ran for 550 more. He has 4.57-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Allen (6-1, 180 pounds, 4.51 speed) is being recruited by many schools as an athlete capable of playing several positions. He shared the quarterbacking duties with Brown last year, throwing for 1,100 yards. Little plans to use him at safety—where he had three interceptions last season—and wide receiver in the fall, and believes safety will be his position in college.

Taylor is 6-4, 220 pounds and didn’t begin playing football until last season when, Little said, “He was a lost bird out there.” That won’t be the case this year, when Taylor also plays tight end. “He’s very athletic,” Little said.

*Independence’s Carson was clocked this year at 4.93 in the 40, but makes up for that pedestrian time with a remarkable 4.39 in the 20-yard shuttle drill, a good measure of quickness and change of direction.

He was in on about 130 tackles last year, and the Marshall offer is expected to be the first of many.

Carson, who is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, was in on about 130 tackles last year. He is expected to draw considerable attention from BCS programs over the summer.

—Stan Olson