Arkansas commitment Byron Hanspard was presented with an Under Armour All America jersey on Tuesday at DeSoto High (DeSoto, Texas).
“It’s definitely a true blessing,” said Hanspard. “This has been a lots of nights at the park working. Playing with my dad and brother to work on my skills. I knew I had the skills to be an Under Armour All-American, but it was the 5th round playoff game against Klein Collins when I had five tackles, two interceptions and I think two pass break-ups that showed people.”
The 6-foot, 170-pound Hanspard is the top-ranked prospect in the Razorbacks’ 2018 class and said he was comfortable with the Arkansas staff.
“One of the main things I look at with colleges is a home away from home,” said the No. 98 player in the ESPN 300. “Coming from a D1 high school, which is what DeSoto is, I always see great things in the similarities to my high school to a college that is similar. The Arkansas staff stood out to me and reminded of the DeSoto staff.”
Four questions with Byron Hanspard:
What player are you looking forward to competing with or against in the Under Armour All-America Game?
I’m not a guy that keeps up a lot with who is playing where, so I don’t have a specific player. I will definitely be looking to compete against the best. I’ll have enough physicality, speed and quickness to bump receivers off their route.
If you could start a team with any player in your class, who would it be and why?
[Three-star running back] Kelan Walker. I’ve been with him on the field half of my life. He’s great on and off the field. He’s a great leader, and we definitely need more leaders on and off the field.
What is your earliest football memory?
My first was my sixth grade year when I was 12-years-old. A team from Forney had some of the biggest players I had seen in my life. When you see guys that big at a young age, it could kind of be intimidating. I played quarterback, my coach called a QB run right, and I asked if he was sure. I ended up scoring a 70 yard touchdown when I broke a tackle, and outran everyone.
What number do your wear, and why?
I wear 5. My father wore four and they retired his number at DeSoto, and he wouldn’t let me bring it out of retirement and wear it. I went with the closest number to four I could. I also have five people in my family, and wear it for them.