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Texas receiver prospects set to visit Razorbacks | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Texas receiver prospects set to visit Razorbacks | 
  Arkansas Democrat Gazette


Two receiver targets in the 2026 class are expected to visit the University of Arkansas for Saturday’s game against No. 4 Tennessee.

Chase Campbell, a 4-star prospect, and 3-star Caleb “Jet” Smith will be in Fayetteville after also visiting over the summer.

Campbell, 6-2, 180 pounds, of Wolfforth (Texas) Frenship, will make the trip with his father, Marcus, a former Arkansas defensive back, and another family member.

His mother DeeDee Brown-Campbell, a former track and field All-American for the Razorbacks, is a senior associate athletics director at Texas Tech but is unable to make the trip. She visited Fayetteville with her son and husband in June.

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“This weekend I am looking forward to seeing a high level SEC game,” Chase Campbell said. “Looking forward to seeing Arkansas offense in person, Also looking forward to connecting with some coaches and players even. Looking forward to the atmosphere of Fayetteville and hearing them call the Hogs.”

He’s already has full season’s worth of stats for the Tigers with 33 catches for 623 yards and 6 touchdowns in only four games. He also has four rushes for 25 yards.

Campbell is on pace to pass his sophomore season, when he recorded 84 receptions for 1,411 yards and 17 touchdowns.

247Sports rates him a 4-star recruit, the No. 27 wide receiver and No. 160 overall prospect in the nation in the 2026 class. He has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Houston, Arizona, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Colorado State and others.

His father lettered for the Razorbacks from 1994 to 1997, while his mother was a two-time All-American in the heptathlon in 2000 and 2002. She also worked in the Arkansas athletic department after graduation and was inducted in the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2015.

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His father works as a behavior and student support coach in the Frenship school district. Saturday will be the first time Chase Campbell will be able to call the Hogs since he was very young.

“I don’t remember calling the Hogs, but my mom and dad said I used to call the Hogs all the time when we used to live in Fayetteville,” said Campbell, who has numerous family members living in Little Rock.

Campbell also said his communication with Razorback receivers coach Ronnie Fouch has been “real good.”

“Coach Fouch has been keeping in touch with me and we have been communicating,” he said.

Smith, 5-10, 160 pounds, of Allen, Texas, visited Arkansas for the spring game on April 13 and for the Hogwild Hangout on July 27. He said he’s ready to watch the Hogs’ offense Saturday night.

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“I really want to see how the offensive coaches use their receivers and how I can see myself in their offense,” Smith said. “I also just want to be around fans and the atmosphere of Arkansas football.”

One if the fastest prospects in the nation, Smith recorded a time of 10.35 seconds in the 100 meters and 10.38 seconds in the spring. Rated a 3-star recruit by On3.com, Smith has offers from Arkansas, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Louisville, Houston, Utah, Nebraska, Baylor, Pittsburgh and others.

Smith was named the District 5-6A first team and the Offensive Utility Player as a sophomore. He had 43 catches for 439 yards, 3 touchdowns and rushed 18 times for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in June and has not been able to play this season. He said Fouch has encouraged him.

“He’s just telling me to keep my head up and I can come back better than I was before,” Smith said. “When I went up there during July, I had the chance to have a meeting with Coach Pittman about the injury. He gave me very good advice about everything.”

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Smith said he is staying positive despite the injury.

“I think I’m dealing with it pretty good,” he said. “It’s sucks but just trying to find ways to get better at my game while recovering.”

5-star guard to visit UA

Consensus 5-star basketball prospect Meleek Thomas is expected to arrive in Arkansas on Friday for his official visit.

Thomas, 6-3, 175 pounds, played his sophomore and junior seasons at Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, where he led his team to consecutive state titles, but will play with Atlanta-based Overtime Elite, an eight-team league featuring players 16 to 20 years old, this season.

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On3.com industry ranking rates Thomas the No. 2 shooting guard and No. 8 overall prospect in the nation for the 2025 class.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

    Chase Campbell
 
 
  photo  Caleb “Jet” Smith
 
 



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Arkansas Storm Team Forecast: Nothing but a sunny Tuesday

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Arkansas Storm Team Forecast:  Nothing but a sunny Tuesday


After a cool/chilly morning that started in the 40s and 50s, Tuesday will warm to the upper 70s and low 80s with nothing but sunshine all day long.

There will be a weak front passing through Arkansas on Wednesday. There will briefly be a few clouds along the time the front actually passes through. But once the front clears, it will once again become sunny.

Starting Friday and lasting through the weekend and into next week a strong south wind will set up. That will warm Arkansas into the mid and upper 80s and introduce a higher level of humidity. It will feel a little like Summer this weekend. Rain chances will return to Central Arkansas starting on Sunday.

With a big upper-level system and cold front approaching early next week, the rain and thunderstorm chance will go up Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. Some strong to severe storms may occur Monday evening. The front will become stationary on Tuesday which will prolong the rainy period and overall help the drought situation Arkansas is facing.



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Sax star Merlon Devine joins Lupus Foundation of Arkansas to jazz up awareness month

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Sax star Merlon Devine joins Lupus Foundation of Arkansas to jazz up awareness month


Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.

A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.

Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”

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The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.

Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.

Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.

The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.

Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.

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She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”

Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.

Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.

The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.



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A 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, died after crashing dirt bike into tree

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A 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, died after crashing dirt bike into tree


An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.

Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.

Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.

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MSP did not initially release any additional information.



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