Why Tyler Wilson Would Make Dorial Green-Beckham an Instant Star at Arkansas

One of the biggest names of the 2012 recruiting class, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, has also been one of its biggest enigmas.

Throughout the past year, Green-Beckham has taken an approach that we don’t normally see very often from high-profile high school football recruits these days—he’s kept quiet. 

The 6’6’’, 220-pound blue-chip prospect has been unusually tight-lipped about where he plans to play his college ball, only going so far as to say that he’s considered schools such as Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas, although it seems likely that his decision will ultimately come down to the Razorbacks and the Tigers.

Green-Beckham played his high school ball at Missouri’s Hillcrest High School, where he routinely dominated the competition, but that may not necessarily give Gary Pinkel’s squad the definitive edge.

While Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino may not be able to offer D.G.B. a free helicopter ride, he can offer him something else that’s very enticing and much more valuable for a young receiver, and that's the chance to play with a star quarterback.

After a breakout junior campaign in 2011, Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson is expected to be one of the top signal-callers in the country next season, and he’ll likely enter 2012 on the short list of Heisman favorites.

Last year, Wilson threw for 3,638 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first year as a starter, and now that he has a year starting in Petrino’s system under his belt, he should be even better in 2012.

It helps that Wilson will also be looking for another reliable target to team with returning receiver Cobi Hamilton and tight end Chris Gragg, since Joe Adams, Jarius Wright and Greg Childs are all heading off to the NFL.

That leaves plenty of room for an elite-caliber receiver recruit like Green-Beckham to step right in and make an impact early on as a freshman.

That’s not to say that Missouri doesn’t have a quality quarterback of its own in James Franklin, who also could be in store for a big season; it’s just saying that getting the chance to make some magic with a quarterback like Wilson for a season could sound awfully enticing.

With the type of natural talent and physical ability that Green-Beckham possesses at this stage in his development, he’s got the chance to make a Sammy Watkins-type of impact for a team in 2012. It’s easy to see why every major school in the country would love to have his services.

Green-Beckham will reportedly pay a visit to Fayetteville this weekend, and Coach Petrino will likely put on the full-court press to try to convince the 5-star prospect that Arkansas is the perfect place for him.

We'll likely have to wait until National Signing Day to get a firm indication as to where Dorial Green-Beckham will play his college ball. But if he does end up choosing Arkansas over his home-state school, Missouri, it’s a decision that would be pretty hard to argue with when you consider the Razorbacks' outlook for 2012.

With D.G.B. on board, Arkansas would definitely have the type of pieces in place to give LSU and Alabama a run for their money in the SEC West next season.