The recruitment of ESPN Junior 300 defensive tackle Hjalte Froholdt (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding) was unique to say the least. The No. 42 ranked prospect is currently overseas, but he committed to the SEC on Monday, he confirmed to ESPN.com.
Froholdt chose Arkansas over Michigan and Florida State, the other two programs in his top three. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive lineman had offers from major schools, including Louisville, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State among others.
The interesting part about Froholdt is that he only played his sophomore season in the United States as a foreign exchange student before heading back home to Denmark. He played his junior season overseas but plans on coming back to the states for his senior season.
His process was difficult because of the communication issues that come with living so far away, but he made it work. He and his family came back to the United States in October to take visits, which included a stop at Arkansas.
He narrowed his list down to three after the trip and ultimately felt the Razorbacks were the best fit. That was somewhat surprising as many felt that Ohio State or Michigan early on were two schools that could land the big defender.
Despite going 3-9 during the season, coach Bret Bielema and Arkansas have reeled in some big prospects. Adding Froholdt to the mix, the Razorbacks now have three ESPN Junior 300 commitments in the 2015 class, including another defensive lineman Jamario Bell (Junction City, Ark./Junction City).
Bielema was successful in Wisconsin loading up on big offensive and defensive linemen so it makes sense that four of the five commitments are linemen.
