I'm reminded by the line in Cool Hand Luke (also shoutout Guns N Roses' Civil War intro) when they say, "What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men, you just can't reach." Though, I would put "win" in place of "communicate."
What you're seeing play out on the recruiting trail right now is a direct result of what we saw from September to November last year. You can’t go 4-8 with blowout losses at the end of the year like we saw and expect high-level guys want to join your program.
Remove NIL from the conversation and you’re still likely going to get a similar result. This is the consequence of losing twice as much as you win. You can’t get rid of NIL though, and because your program already looks unattractive on the field, it only makes your job harder. Athletes want more money to play for you, while the fanbase is hesitant to give that money because of the product on the field.
I’m not going to call for anyone’s jobs. I don’t think that’s my place. But other coaches are 100% using that tactic on recruits and it’s likely working.
The only hope, at this point, that Arkansas has of salvaging some semblance of success in the class of 2025 is an above average year so they can say last season was an exception and not the rule.
This is going to extend to future classes, too. 2026 is already more loaded than 2025 is in-state and if what we’ve seen so far this year is any indication, we’re probably going to see it happen to some degree again in the next class.
What you're seeing play out on the recruiting trail right now is a direct result of what we saw from September to November last year. You can’t go 4-8 with blowout losses at the end of the year like we saw and expect high-level guys want to join your program.
Remove NIL from the conversation and you’re still likely going to get a similar result. This is the consequence of losing twice as much as you win. You can’t get rid of NIL though, and because your program already looks unattractive on the field, it only makes your job harder. Athletes want more money to play for you, while the fanbase is hesitant to give that money because of the product on the field.
I’m not going to call for anyone’s jobs. I don’t think that’s my place. But other coaches are 100% using that tactic on recruits and it’s likely working.
The only hope, at this point, that Arkansas has of salvaging some semblance of success in the class of 2025 is an above average year so they can say last season was an exception and not the rule.
This is going to extend to future classes, too. 2026 is already more loaded than 2025 is in-state and if what we’ve seen so far this year is any indication, we’re probably going to see it happen to some degree again in the next class.
