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OL target gains buzz after Arkansas gives offer | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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OL target gains buzz after Arkansas gives offer | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


Offensive lineman Keiton Jones has seen his scholarship offer list grow since receiving one from the University of Arkansas during a visit to Fayetteville on Jan. 27.

He’s also eyeing a couple other visits to check out the Hogs.

Jones, 6-5, 320 pounds, of Coffeyville (Kan.) Field Kindley, received his fourth offer from Razorback Coach Sam Pittman during his visit. He previously had offers from Penn State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

Since his Arkansas offer, he has added offers from Auburn, Alabama, Southern Cal, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, Purdue and Tulsa.

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Jones said he’s looking to visit Arkansas during his school’s March 11-15 spring break and is planning a return trip for an official visit in June.

“I do plan to visit again during my spring break,” Jones said. “I’m planning on setting up an official visit to come back.”

His relationship with offensive line coach Eric Mateos is what motivates him to visit Arkansas again.

“I think the communication between me and Coach Mateos has been really good and that’s something I like and I look for in a college between the coach and the players and that motivates me to want to come,” Jones said.

Mateos stays in touch with Jones on a regular basis.

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“He texts me almost everyday, every other day and we chat and talk a lot, that bond right there,” Jones said. “When me and my mom visited the first time for the junior day had a really good impression on us along with Coach Pittman.”

Mateos and Pittman made sure Jones’ mother was a major focus during their first trip to Fayetteville.

“She really liked it, Coach Mateos sat down and ate lunch with me and my family and the conversation with Coach Pittman when he offered me my scholarship, I know that meant a lot to her and she really likes it,” Jones said, “She was a big part of that and they made her a big part of that because that’s how it should be.”

Jones, who has recorded 31.8 inches in the vertical jump, also reports a 365-pound bench press and a 620 squat. He also plans to make official visits to Texas Tech and Penn State in June while planning trips to SEC and Big Ten schools.

He’s familiar with two Arkansas offensive linemen who attended nearby Coffeyville Community College located in his hometown.

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“I know a couple of kids who are from around my area who have went to Arkansas and they like it over there,” Jones said. “Keyshawn Blackstock, I’ve worked with him a couple of times and Amaury [Wiggins]. So I know them both and they have good things to say about Arkansas.”

He’s rated a 3-star recruit by two of the four recruiting services in the 2025 class. Jones has a 3.3 grade point average and is considering sports medicine as a major.

“My family is kind of based around the medical field,” Jones said. “I always like helping people and being in the area of sports, that will help me pursue that.”

He said he plans to make his college decision prior to his senior season or during the early part of the season.

Email Richard Davenport at [email protected]

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Arkansas

Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Arkansas

Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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