There was little fanfare around Jaden Muskrat when he signed his letter of intent to play football at Tulsa in December.

The hoopla finally caught up with him Wednesday afternoon as Bentonville West recognized the accomplishment of its senior offensive tackle with a ceremony in the school lecture hall.

"I'm just blessed to have this opportunity to play at the next level," Muskrat said. "I was blessed to be at this school and have all these good coaches around me."

Tulsa was an obvious choice for Muskrat, who lived in that area before he transferred to West in January 2019. At that time, he told the Wolverines coaches he would play anywhere they needed him, and he was moved from his normal defensive line spot to the offensive line.

Muskrat took that move seriously and went on to become an all-state player at left tackle, and the Little Rock Touchdown Club honored him with the Willie Roaf Award for the state's outstanding lineman. He also remained true to Tulsa, the school he verbally committed to during the offseason, even though he said a couple of Power Five schools tried to persuade him at the last moment.

"I just stuck with Tulsa," Muskrat said. "They've believed in me this whole time. That's why I chose them.

"First of all, now I have to get my elbow fixed, then I'll start getting to work. They said they want me to play left tackle, but if they want to move me I'll play wherever my team needs me to play. It's all good."

West also recognized linebacker Jonas Higson, who earlier announced he will be headed to Arkansas as a preferred walk-on. Higson, a four-year starter at linebacker and receiver, recorded 81 tackles despite missing three games with a knee injury, as well as 13 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups, 6 quarterback sacks and 2 interceptions.
