Head coach Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks lost the commitment of 2026 four-star offensive lineman Bear McWhorter on Sunday, as he announced his de-commitment from the Hogs via Twitter.
A product of Cass High School in Cartersville, Georgia, McWorter committed to Arkansas on Aug. 28, 2023. Fans might remember him putting up a billboard along I-49 with the words "Coach Pittman, I want to be a Hog" back in 2021, but he backed off his pledge Sunday.
"De-committing is something that never even crossed my mind last August when I committed to the Razorbacks," McWhorter wrote in a statement. "Even now, my love for the Hogs and Coach Pitt hasn't changed. After lots of thought, prayer and conversations with my family I realize I only get to go through this process once in my life and have a long way to go before I put pen to paper. With that being said I will be de-committing from Arkansas in order to take more time and rest assure I make the right decision for my future."
McWhorter holds offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss and others. His cousin is 2026 four-star quarterback Brodie McWhorter — also from Cass High School — who recently committed to West Virginia.
Arkansas is now down to just one commitment in the 2026 class — four-star defensive back Tay Lockett out of Bellflower, California.
As for McWhorter, he was a consistent visitor in Fayetteville and he spent plenty of time in camps and on visits learning from Pittman.
“I wasn’t looking for something crazy, the best facilities or something like that,” McWhorter told HawgBeat in August. “Coach Pittman is the guy I want to play for and Arkansas has everything that I need. It’s a place I can flourish as an offensive lineman. Those schools have great stuff and great people but it didn’t feel the same for me as Arkansas.”
As for the billboard idea back in 2021, McWhorter said his dad was behind it.
“My dad was in the billboard business for a while, he owned a company,” McWhorter told HawgBeat. “So that was kind of his expertise. After I visited all my schools that summer, he had that idea. He asked what school I wanted to do it on, and Arkansas was my favorite.”
Click here for a full look at Arkansas' 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes.
