Login to view embedded media
I'm told Muizz Tounkara is not taking his official visit here this weekend. Coming from Arkansas' side here.

Login to view embedded media
Warren's next great receiver has been one of the most elusive out there but I've gathered Arkansas is in a good spot for him. Trying to confirm his official visit this weekend, I'll let you guys know when I do.

Head coach Sam Pittman will begin his fifth season as the leader of the Arkansas football program Thursday, Aug. 29, when the Razorbacks play the UAPB Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Coming off a 4-8 campaign in 2023 that also featured a 1-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play, Pittman's squad is revamped with three new offensive assistants, new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green.

ALSO READ: Arkansas football 2024 kickoff time windows released

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive coordinator Travis Williams is back for his second season in Fayetteville and he has some legit talent on that side of the ball, including defensive end Landon Jackson and cornerback Jaylon Braxton.

BetSaracen, the official mobile sports gambling app of the Saracen Casino Resort, has released three early lines for games that Arkansas fans will have plenty of interest in this fall.

Texas A&M - Saturday, Sept. 28​

Location: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas

Kickoff Time: Afternoon Window (2:30-3:30 p.m. CT)

Texas A&M 2023 record: 7-6, 4-4 SEC

Texas A&M head coach: Mike Elko (1st season)

Notable Texas A&M players: QB Conner Weigman, DE Nic Scourton, DT Shemar Turner, OT Trey Zuhn III, WR Noah Thomas, S Bryce Anderson

According to BetSaracen, Arkansas is a 10.5-point underdog against the Aggies and they have +350 odds to win outright (moneyline).

Arkansas owns a 42-35-3 record in the all-time series against the Aggies, but the Razorbacks are 1-11 over the last 12 meetings. The Hogs' only win against the Aggies during that span was a 20-10 victory on Sept. 25, 2021.

Last season, Texas A&M earned a 34-22 win over the Razorbacks behind a strong offensive performance powered by now-Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who called plays for the Aggies last year.

RELATED: Arkansas OC Dan Enos emailed students after A&M loss

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson completed just nine of his 17 pass attempts for 132 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jefferson, who is now at Central Florida, was sacked seven times in that game.

​

LSU - Saturday, Oct. 19​

Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas

Kickoff Time: Night Window (5:00-7:00 p.m. CT)

LSU 2023 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC

LSU head coach: Brian Kelly (3rd season)

Notable LSU players: LB Harold Perkins Jr., OT Will Campbell, TE Mason Taylor, S Major Burns, QB Garrett Nussmeier, WR Kyren Lacy

According to BetSaracen, Arkansas is a 9.5-point underdog against the Tigers and they have +275 odds to win outright.

Arkansas trails LSU in the all-time series, 43-23-2. The Razorbacks have lost six of the last seven games against the Tigers, including four straight in Fayetteville. The Hogs last beat LSU on Nov. 13, 2021, when freshman kicker Cam Little hit a game-winner in a 16-13 overtime victory.

Last season, LSU narrowly defeated the Razorbacks down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels (320 passing yards, 4 touchdowns), the Tigers squeaked out a 34-31 win over an Arkansas team that gave it everything they had.

RELATED: Penalties hurt Hogs again in loss at LSU

Jefferson threw for 289 yards, three touchdowns and two picks while also adding 75 yards on the ground. Freshman tight end Luke Hasz dazzled with six receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

​

Texas - Saturday, Nov. 16​

Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas

Kickoff Time: 11 a.m. CT

Texas 2023 record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12

Texas head coach: Steve Sarkisian (4th season)

Notable Texas players: QB Quinn Ewers, WR Isaiah Bond, DE Ethan Burke, OT Kelvin Banks Jr., DE Trey Moore, DB Jahdae Barron

BetSaracen does not have a point spread for this game, but it does have the Razorbacks with +550 odds to win outright.

Texas leads the all-time series, 56-23, but the Razorbacks were victors in the most-recent meeting. Arkansas crushed the Longhorns in Fayetteville on Sept. 11, 2021, by a score of 40-21 behind 471 yards of total offense, 347 of which came on the ground.

ALSO READ — Horns (Beat) Down: Arkansas routs No. 15 Texas

Last season, Texas made it to the College Football Playoff before being eliminated by Washington, which lost to Michigan in the national championship game.

Now part of the SEC, the Longhorns joined the conference along with fellow Big 12 rival Oklahoma to make it a 16-team league that no longer has divisions.

-------------------------

​

Read more of HawgBeat's Arkansas football content​

Rankings Spotlight: How Arkansas' is performing in the 2025 class

Anonymous coaches weigh in on Arkansas, Sam Pittman

Monte Harrison putting pads on 10 years later at Arkansas

What they’re saying about Arkansas: Lindy’s Magazine

ESPN's QB tier rankings have Arkansas near bottom of SEC

Greenwood wide receiver Grant Karnes, a recruit in the class of 2025, was running routes at Arkansas' summer football camp on Thursday when Razorbacks wide receiver coach Ronnie Fouch pulled him aside.

Fouch had been watching Karnes for a while, and was impressed enough with what he saw that he extended an opportunity to play at Arkansas to Karnes.

"Well, obviously it felt really good," Karnes told HawgBeat. "I was super pumped about it. I went into the camp, I was hoping to get something but I wasn't sure. While I was there, we started off with drills inside and that went really well. I talked to (Fouch) when we first got there and it went well."

The offer is a preferred walk-on spot and not a scholarship offer yet, but Karnes isn't fazed by the extra work.

"You don't have to have the full-ride offer to start," Karnes said. "You can go there, become an All-American and everything like that."

Growing up in Greenwood, Karnes said he's been to plenty of Arkansas games, and has watched most of them.

"I've been to a pretty good amount of games, grew up as an Arkansas fan being in Greenwood," Karnes said. "It's pretty cool to watch the game and it's cool to be like, 'I'll be on that field' if I choose to commit there."

Last season for Greenwood, Karnes hauled in 72 passes for 990 yards and 13 touchdowns. Those are impressive numbers, but are actually less than what he had as a sophomore, when he brought in 96 passes for 1,297 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Right now, Karnes has two offers to play college football: Southeast Missouri State and Arkansas Baptist. He's hoping that number grows, though, as he attends camps at several different schools, something he hasn't been able to do in previous years because of baseball.

Karnes is not just a talented football player. He is also a standout on the baseball field, and just recently de-committed from Wichita State, where he was set to be a pitcher.

"I got up to about 90, 91-ish (on the fastball) and I kind of tweaked my arm a little bit," Karnes said. "So I didn't pitch at the end of the year and I kind of chose football because of that."

Up next, Karnes is set to camp at Arkansas State and Kansas State, and has a visit in the works to SEMO as well.

Login to view embedded media
Probably no reason to freak out just yet, but screw me. Kid worked his ass off all offseason. Hopefully nothing too crazy.

From @John Garcia Jr.


One of the top rising-junior quarterback recruits nationally has taken the next step in his recruitment. Dereon Coleman, the Orlando (Fla.) Jones quarterback who broke out as a coveted dual-threat during the 2023 season, tells Rivals he has narrowed his list of college options to eight programs.

Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas A&M and UCF are the top schools the four-star will continue to consider moving forward.

Coleman commented on each program ahead of his latest unofficial visit, to Oklahoma, beginning on Wednesday.

Login to view embedded media
Arkansas: "My relationship with coach Bobby Petrino. The success he’s had with the QB Position. Love the scheme he runs."

Illinois: "I like what coach Barry Lunney Jr., offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, brings to the table from a scheme standpoint. He would be able to utilize my ability in a major way. The passion those players play with also stands out."

Nebraska: "The tradition of the program and seeing the success that recent five-star QB Dylan Raiola is having. I like what coach Matt Rhule has to offer from a coaching perspective. He is a coach who has been at the highest level and that's where I want to be one day."

Oklahoma: "A dream offer. A staff that truly believes in my abilities. The tradition of the program. The fans. It felt like home on my visit. Why not OU?"

Ole Miss: "With the things coach Lane Kiffin and staff are building with the program, it definitely has my attention. From an X and O’s standpoint, I see a-lot of myself in Jaxson Dart with the way he plays the game. I can see them playing in the college playoffs there."

TCU: "A chance to get a private education and play big-time football for a staff that doesn’t mind throwing the football around the yard. Nice fit for what staff likes to do."

Texas A&M: "Having a chance to play in the same uniform that the great Johnny Manziel played in front of the 12th man. In that stadium, it would be nuts. I heard that atmosphere is lit."

UCF: "Being able to stay home would mean a-lot. The relationship that has been developed between coach Gus Malzahn and myself is different. I feel I'd make a difference for that program."

The Arkansas football team has received good news for the second time today, as 2025 three-star offensive lineman Blake Cherry announced his commitment to the Razorbacks on X (formerly Twitter).

A 6-foot-6, 305-pound tackle from Owasso, Oklahoma, Cherry chose the Hogs over offers from programs like Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and others.

The second commitment for the class of 2025 on Saturday, Cherry joins three-star in-state Parkview athlete Quentin Murphy as pledges to join Arkansas' ranks.

Login to view embedded media
Cherry visited Fayetteville for Arkansas' Junior Day on Jan. 20, the same day he received an offer from head coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks.

Should he sign and end up on campus in the Natural State, Cherry will be the first scholarship Oklahoma native to join the Razorbacks since tight end Luke Hasz and safety Dylan Hasz committed out of Bixby, Oklahoma in the class of 2023.

Following Cherry's commitment, the Razorbacks sit with eight prospects in the class of 2025. Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for updates on all of Arkansas' high school recruiting action.

Login to view embedded media

The time for fan-enraging preseason rankings and predictions has arrived and the Arkansas football team is at the receiving end of some not-so pleasant projections ahead of the 2024-25 season.

ESPN's Football Power Index — a predictive ratings system released last week — is the latest to weigh in on the prospect of several teams, including Arkansas.

The FPI gives the Razorbacks a 48.4% to win six games and make a bowl game appearance as part of a new-form grueling SEC, which includes 16 teams following the addition of newcomers Texas and Oklahoma.

Arkansas is projected to finish with a 5.5-6.5 overall record, and the Hogs have a 0.1% chance of winning the SEC and a 2.6% chance of making the College Football Playoff.

Mississippi State (49th) and Vanderbilt (76th) are the only two league teams below Arkansas (44th) in the power index rankings.

Georgia (1st), Texas (3rd), Alabama (5th), Oklahoma (8th), Tennessee (9th), Missouri (10th), LSU (13th), Texas A&M (14th), Ole Miss (16th), Auburn (19th), Florida (20th), South Carolina (33rd) and Kentucky (34th) fill out the rest of the list.

Other rankings for Arkansas opponents include Oklahoma State (26th), UAB (98th) and Louisiana Tech (122nd).

Arkansas is set to open its season on Aug. 29 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at War Memorial Stadium.

I'll be here another 20 minutes if anyone wants to rumble

DJ Ngassa is a defensive lineman out of Wichita East. He's a part of an international student program here and only played one year of football. Has gotten interest from a ton of Power 5 schools, but they haven't pulled the trigger on offering him yet. Had 96 tackles, 13 sacks and 14 TFLs last season.

Competition level isn't great, honestly, but I think he's going to start getting more attention this fall.

Doesn't have a profile yet. 6-foot-2 and 250 right now.

Login to view embedded media

Just one year removed from ranking atop the Southeastern Conference in ESPN's preseason quarterback situation tier rankings, the Arkansas Razorbacks enter the 2024 season being rated on the same level as conference foe Vanderbilt.

ESPN released its annual ranking of all 134 FBS quarterback situations in tiers, beginning with Tier 1 featuring names such as Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Texas' Quinn Ewers, and ending with Tier 20 listing schools like Ball State, Kent State and UNLV, among others.

With first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino now calling plays and Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green the presumable starter, ESPN put the Arkansas quarterback situation in Tier 11a, which is labeled as "Movin' on up."

Backup quarterback Malachi Singleton was also listed in the Hogs' situation. Former quarterback Jacolby Criswell was in competition with Singleton during the spring, but he has since transferred back to North Carolina. The Razorbacks also have freshman KJ Jackson and Coastal Carolina transfer Blake Boda in the quarterback room.

Five other schools were included in the same tier as Arkansas — Baylor, Cal, Indiana, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt. Just two others SEC schools — Auburn and South Carolina — were ranked in lower tiers than the Razorbacks and Commodores.

As a redshirt sophomore last season at Boise State, Green completed 57.1% of his passes for 1,752 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 436 yards and nine scores, and ESPN pointed out that Green had more rushing touchdowns (19) over the past two seasons than any other Group of 5 quarterback.

"He’s a very highly motivated young man," Petrino said April 2. "He spends more time in that building than anybody. He’s got this little routine he goes through where he takes his iPad out on the field and watches video and does his footwork. He’s just going to continue to get better and better."

Green arrived at Arkansas for the spring semester and he was the first team quarterback during all of the Razorbacks' spring practices. He displayed impressive arm strength and speed for his size (6-foot-6, 223 pounds), but it was his leadership that players and coaches praised him the most for.

“Oh man, he’s trying to get everybody going,” senior wide receiver Andrew Armstrong said March 7. “He’s reaching out, trying to get people to come up there to throw with the quarterbacks. Everybody’s trying to come in, learn the plays, having a group discussion about it, so he’s definitely filling in that role of trying to be a leader.”

ALSO READ: Taylen Green’s leadership makes strong impression in spring practice

With former signal caller KJ Jefferson entering his third season as the Hogs' starter in 2023, expectations were at an all-time high for the native of Sardis, Mississippi. ESPN rated him in Tier 2 of its ranking of all 133 FBS quarterback situations last summer, with names around him such as J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Jalon Daniels (Kansas).

Things didn't work out well for Jefferson under first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who was fired Oct. 22 after just eight games. Jefferson completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,107 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding 447 rushing yards with two scores on the ground.

Now playing for head coach Gus Malzahn at Central Florida, Jefferson and the Knights check in just one tier above the Razorbacks in Tier 10. Other schools included in that tier are Louisville, Mississippi State, Washington and Wisconsin.

The 2024 season will begin for Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 29, against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and it will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Head coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks will reportedly host Oakland as part of the 2024-25 non-conference schedule, according to a report from Rocco Miller.

Based out of Auburn Hills, Michigan, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies eliminated Calipari and the 3-seed Kentucky Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament on March 21 behind Jack Gohlke's 10 made three-pointers.

The Razorbacks are 2-0 all-time against Oakland with the last meeting resulting in a 91-68 win in Fayetteville on Nov. 16, 2011. The two teams also met at Bud Walton Arena in Dec. 2006, when the Hogs beat the Golden Grizzlies, 91-57.

Arkansas is also reportedly set to play Michigan at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 10, per Jeff Goodman. According to Calipari, most of the non-conference scheduling is complete.

"Most of the stuff is done of who we're playing, and then there may be one team that I try to do a home-and-home with," Calipari said May 25. "But we're going to play in Little Rock. We're going to play in Dallas. You need national games. You've got to play in Madison Square Garden."

As of now, the Razorbacks do know their 2024-25 conference opponents at home and on the road. Arkansas will have home-and-homes with LSU, Missouri and Texas, plus they will host Alabama and Oklahoma while taking trips to Kentucky and Tennessee, among others.

"Right now, some of the games I've scheduled, you get calls from ESPN, different events, CBS — Can you do this? Can you do this?" Calipari said. "Until I get the rest of the roster, I probably won't fully do the schedule, but we're in good shape right now. I'm juiced about it. Like, let's go."

Arkansas currently has nine scholarship players for the 2024-25 roster with the recent addition of Trevon Brazile returning. Click here for HawgBeat's Arkansas basketball roster tracker.

The Arkansas football team lost another commitment in the class of 2025 on Monday as four-star running back Jamarion Parker backed off his pledge, according to multiple reports.

Parker was rumored to be on the fence about his recruitment since the departure of former Arkansas running backs coach Jimmy Smith to TCU.

Parker committed to Arkansas on Sept. 1, 2023 over offers from Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oregon and others.

At the time he committed, Parker was ranked the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri and the No. 236 player in the country according to Rivals. He has since dropped out of the Rivals250 and is ranked the No. 5 player in Missouri.

The St. Louis native is the second recruit to back off their pledge to the Razorbacks on Monday, as Parker joins four-star lineman Carius Curne of Marion.

With Parker's decision, the Hogs are now at just three in the class of 2025: Four-star quarterback Grayson Wilson, three-star athlete Markeylin Batton and two-star kicker Evan Noel.

Login to view embedded media

Offers:

6'8" 200 SF AJ Dybantsa - five-star No. 1
6'9" 225 PF Cameron Boozer - five-star No. 2
6'5" 195 SG Darryn Peterson - five-star No. 3
6'9" 200 PF Caleb Wilson - five-star No. 4
6'4" 170 SG Meleek Thomas - five-star No. 5
6'8" 220 PF Koa Peat - five-star No. 6
6'2" 170 PG Darius Acuff Jr. - five-star No. 9
6'4" 170 PG Jasper Johnson - four-star No. 13
6'5" 205 SG Trey McKenney - five-star No. 14
6'9" 220 PF Chris Cenac Jr. - four-star No. 17
6'4" 205 SG Cayden Boozer - four-star No. 21
7'1" 220 C Malachi Moreno - four-star No. 24
6'8" 170 PF Terrion Burgess - four-star No. 57*
6'5" 180 SG Isaiah Sealy - four-star No. 77*


*denotes in-state prospect

Holdover offers:

6'5" 190 SG Jerry Easter II - four-star No. 28
6'7" 190 SF Hudson Greer - four-star No. 34
6'10" PF Nigel Walls - four-star No. 51
6'5" SF Jermaine O'Neal Jr. - four-star No. 79
6'5" 170 SG BJ Davis-Ray - four-star No. 80
6'6" 190 SF Cam Ward - four-star No. 81
6'2" SG Kayden Edwards - four-star No. 93
6'5" 170 SG Bryce Heard - four-star No. 95
6'10" 235 C Parker Jefferson - four-star No. 122
6'7" 195 SF Jai'Chaunn Hayes - unranked*
6'3" 185 PG Gregory Lawson - unranked

What are the chances of him getting drafted first round?
What about the other top freshman coming in, any chance we lose more than a couple guys? WPS