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Facilities, aggression among Hogs' coaches sticks out to 2027 prospect

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Jacob Davis | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 6:25 PM ET

Arkansas coaches continue to make strong impressions on potential recruiting targets across the country following the individual positional camps this week.

One player to keep an eye on moving forward is Nashville, Tennessee offensive lineman Ben Hale, who attends Christian Presbyterian Academy.

The 6-foot-5, 305 pound prospect can play multiple positions in the trenches, recording more than 60 pancake blocks, did not allow a single sack or tackle for loss as a sophomore in 2024.

While Hale only reports a pair of offers from Middle Tennessee State and UNLV to this point, Louisville has expressed interest and he has camped at Georgia Tech, Indiana, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Appalachian State this offseason.

Had a really great camp at @RazorbackFB Huge thanks to @CoachMateos @CoachBrowne72 @CoachSamPittman for all the coaching and feedback from camp! Very grateful to get to compete against some of the top guys at camp! Very excited to build a relationship with the Hogs!!!!… pic.twitter.com/CyigLLHv8V
— Ben Hale (@benhale74) June 18, 2025

One strong connection between Hale and the Razorbacks program is that his trainer, James Stone, played for Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman at Tennessee.

"I grew up as an Arkansas fan for as long as I can remember," Hale said. "I’ve gotten to learn a lot more about the program since my last visit this spring and after camping with them last Wednesday. Coach Pittman is a coach that you can’t compare with anyone else."

"My offseason offensive line coach, former NFL Center James Stone, played under Coach Pittman at Tennessee, when he was the offensive line coach for the Volunteers in 2012. He’s been very successful at Arkansas over the past five years and I'm very excited to see what he does this year"

Hale believes that Pittman along with Arkansas offensive line coach Eric Mateos are among the best developers of big men up front and the pair are finally back together after working from 2013-2015.

Last season, the Razorbacks improved towards the end of the regular season and the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech allowing just five sacks over the final three games.

Hale's relationship with the coaching staff continues to develop and admires the type of ruthless attitude Aransas coaches have instilled in their offensive line room.

Thank you for the evaluation @615recruiting! https://t.co/Wj78dXyrcF
— Ben Hale (@benhale74) December 25, 2024

"Since my last visit on April 12 during spring practice and camp last Wednesday, Coach Mateos is one of the best O-Line coaches that I’ve gotten to work with at a camp," Hale said. "He wants everything you got for as long as camp or practice lasts. He wants his guys to be nasty and mean on the line of scrimmage. My relationship with Coach Mateos has grown quite a bit since this spring.

Another feature Arkansas provides student athletes are state of the art facilities that help in their development which impressed Hale.

"The facilities at Arkansas aren’t like any other," Hale said. "The amount of effort and time that they put into their facilities is unmatched with any other SEC program. What impressed me the most is their gameday locker room. It’s just ridiculous how nice it is, and how much they care about their football team."

As far as the recruitment process goes, Hale considers the Razorbacks at the very top of his list and believes in the program and relationship he's built with the coaches to this point.

Arkansas has begun recruiting the 2027 class with one commitment from Sheridan offensive lineman Bradley Sturdivant who hopped on board in January.

The Razorbacks have extended scholarship offers close to 200 athletes from coast to coast in the 2027 class and have hosted several of them for multiple unofficial visits throughout the winter and spring.