Recruit Bought A Billboard To Get Sam Pittman's Attention Two Years Ago, Now Bear McWhorter Has Committed To Arkansas

Sometimes hard work, and a little bit of attention grabbing pays off in college football recruiting. This was certainly the case for OL prospect Bear McWhorter, who has committed to Sam Pittman and Arkansas.

It was two years ago that the family of Bear McWhorter wanted to make it be known that their son wanted to be a Razorback. The offensive lineman was only 13-years old at the time, but he knew which coach he wanted to play for.

The Billboard was located on I-49 going towards Fayetteville, Arkansas

After meeting Pittman at a football camp, Bear had already decided he wanted to spend his college years at Arkansas. From there, it was all about getting better and making sure he would be in a spot to be able to commit to a school like Arkansas.

But his family also had a plan to make sure Pittman was paying attention to the young man, which was buying a billboard to show just how much he wanted to be a Razorback.

The 6’4, 297 pound OL from Cartersville, GA might be a 2026 prospect, but this was his and the family's plan all along.

After a few years of continuing to grow, while gaining offers from schools like Florida State, Georgia, Texas and others, he was ready to commit.

2026 Arkansas committed Bear McWhorter with Razorbacks head Coach Sam Pittman Via: Bear McWhorter

Arkansas Billboard Worked

His father Josh came up with the idea in 2021 to grab the attention of coaches around the country with this type of marketing campaign. He coached high school football in Georgia, and wanted to try a new way to market recruits. But he was going to use his son as the first test, obviously.

"There’s obviously been a few people that have problems with it. But their opinions don’t really matter," Josh McWhorter said at the time. "It’s just Coach Pittman’s, but I think for the most part, it’s been positive."

Turns out, the plan worked. Bear McWhorter has a few years before he steps foot on-campus in Fayetteville, but the billboard plan ended up paying off.