While much of the Arkansas fanbase is tuned into Eric Musselman and the basketball team, the Arkansas football coaching staff is still working on building the class of 2025.
The NCAA recruiting calendar is currently in a quiet period, which means coaches aren't allowed out on the road, but can still host prospects on campus. This particular time of year is good for recruits because not only do they get to see the campus and facilities, they can see how the coaches work on the field during spring practice.
Here's a few notes on what's going on in the world of Arkansas recruiting. Stay tuned to HawgBeat for more coverage of Razorback recruiting.
2026 Arkansas defensive back commit Tay Lockett made the trek and brought along several of his friends from the Golden State last weekend.
2025 three-star wide receiver Dreyden Garner, 2025 four-star wide receiver LaMason Waller and 2026 defensive back Deon Jackson all joined him on the trip.
The weekend for them started on Thursday night, linking up with Greenwood four-star quarterback
Kane Archer for a workout. Afterward, they got to check out the Arkansas facilities, sit in on team meetings and watch the scrimmage as well.
Lockett told HawgBeat it was good for his friends to get the experience on campus.
"I came with some new people who hadn't ever been there, so we toured the Jones Center," Lockett said. "Just to get the guys familiar with it. It was cool."
After talking to several sources, I feel confident in placing a FutureCast prediction for the aforementioned Garner to commit to the Razorbacks.
Garner currently has a top 5 of Arkansas, Ole Miss, San Diego State, Colorado and Oklahoma State, but sources say Arkansas currently leads for his services and it's "not really that close."
The Southern California native has a close relationship with 2026 defensive back commit Tay Lockett, which helps their case. He echoed what the source told HawgBeat during an interview on Tuesday.
“Arkansas for sure," Garner said when asked who the frontrunner was in his recruitment. "Without a doubt Arkansas is the top runner for me.”
Arkansas offensive line coach Eric Mateos has wasted no time in recruiting since arriving on campu, and extended two new offers in the class of 2026 last weekend.
Evan Goodwin, an offensive lineman out of Pulaski Academy, was on hand and earned an offer from the Razorbacks, something he said he was extremely excited about.
"I was extremely excited," Goodwin told HawgBeat. "I was smiling from ear to ear. I grew up always being like 'man, when I grow up I want to have a Hog offer' ... now just being able to do that is incredible."
Also on campus was Felix Ojo, a three-star offensive tackle out of Mansfield, Texas, in the class of 2026. He reported his offer as the Hogs will contend with Oklahoma, Baylor, Houston, Tennessee, Texas Tech and others.
Ojo has a prior relationship with Mateos, stemming from the new offensive line coach's time at Baylor. He also added an offer from Alabama on Sunday.
The Mansfield native told HawgBeat the facilities at Arkansas stuck out to him during his visit to the Hill last Saturday.
"The facilities are definitely one of the best that I've seen so far," Ojo said. "That was a big, major thing for me on the visit."
It's hard to imagine it, but the 2027 class is already starting to come up. One of those athletes is Jeremiah Dent, a running back out of Marion.ml
He doesn't have any offers yet, but he's gained the eyes of Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Arkansas and others.
All three of those schools have invited him out to visits on their respective campuses. He'll be at Arkansas on April 6 to watch spring practice.
Four-star safety Marcus Wimberly has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks, adding offers from Utah, Oregon, Alabama and others this spring.
He reposted a tweet on Twitter that read "I feel like I can commit at anytime," which could indicate he's nearing a decision.
The Bauxite native has started to narrow down his choices, listing a Top 7 of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Oregon, Memphis and Michigan.
Sources have indicated to HawgBeat this is mainly a race between Arkansas and Oklahoma. He has an official visit scheduled to Arkansas the weekend of June 21, but so far nothing scheduled for Oklahoma.
That will likely change at some point, but it's something to monitor.
Another visitor last weekend was defensive back Sidney Walton out of Moody High School in Alabama.
Moody is the same high school that produced four-star wide receiver Davion Dozier, who figures to be a part of the Razorbacks' rotation in 2024.
Sources told HawgBeat Arkansas is in a good position for Walton's services, because of both the Dozier connection as well as the pipeline the Hogs have built into the state of Alabama.
Tennessee and Ole Miss are two other teams who have been making a push for Walton's services as well.
The NCAA recruiting calendar is currently in a quiet period, which means coaches aren't allowed out on the road, but can still host prospects on campus. This particular time of year is good for recruits because not only do they get to see the campus and facilities, they can see how the coaches work on the field during spring practice.
Here's a few notes on what's going on in the world of Arkansas recruiting. Stay tuned to HawgBeat for more coverage of Razorback recruiting.
California recruits get closer look at Fayetteville
2026 Arkansas defensive back commit Tay Lockett made the trek and brought along several of his friends from the Golden State last weekend.
2025 three-star wide receiver Dreyden Garner, 2025 four-star wide receiver LaMason Waller and 2026 defensive back Deon Jackson all joined him on the trip.
The weekend for them started on Thursday night, linking up with Greenwood four-star quarterback
Kane Archer for a workout. Afterward, they got to check out the Arkansas facilities, sit in on team meetings and watch the scrimmage as well.
Lockett told HawgBeat it was good for his friends to get the experience on campus.
"I came with some new people who hadn't ever been there, so we toured the Jones Center," Lockett said. "Just to get the guys familiar with it. It was cool."
New FutureCast made for California wide receiver
After talking to several sources, I feel confident in placing a FutureCast prediction for the aforementioned Garner to commit to the Razorbacks.
Garner currently has a top 5 of Arkansas, Ole Miss, San Diego State, Colorado and Oklahoma State, but sources say Arkansas currently leads for his services and it's "not really that close."
The Southern California native has a close relationship with 2026 defensive back commit Tay Lockett, which helps their case. He echoed what the source told HawgBeat during an interview on Tuesday.
“Arkansas for sure," Garner said when asked who the frontrunner was in his recruitment. "Without a doubt Arkansas is the top runner for me.”
Eric Mateos putting in work on the recruiting trail
Arkansas offensive line coach Eric Mateos has wasted no time in recruiting since arriving on campu, and extended two new offers in the class of 2026 last weekend.
Evan Goodwin, an offensive lineman out of Pulaski Academy, was on hand and earned an offer from the Razorbacks, something he said he was extremely excited about.
"I was extremely excited," Goodwin told HawgBeat. "I was smiling from ear to ear. I grew up always being like 'man, when I grow up I want to have a Hog offer' ... now just being able to do that is incredible."
Also on campus was Felix Ojo, a three-star offensive tackle out of Mansfield, Texas, in the class of 2026. He reported his offer as the Hogs will contend with Oklahoma, Baylor, Houston, Tennessee, Texas Tech and others.
Ojo has a prior relationship with Mateos, stemming from the new offensive line coach's time at Baylor. He also added an offer from Alabama on Sunday.
The Mansfield native told HawgBeat the facilities at Arkansas stuck out to him during his visit to the Hill last Saturday.
"The facilities are definitely one of the best that I've seen so far," Ojo said. "That was a big, major thing for me on the visit."
2027 in-state running back gaining traction on recruiting trail, will visit Arkansas
It's hard to imagine it, but the 2027 class is already starting to come up. One of those athletes is Jeremiah Dent, a running back out of Marion.ml
He doesn't have any offers yet, but he's gained the eyes of Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Arkansas and others.
All three of those schools have invited him out to visits on their respective campuses. He'll be at Arkansas on April 6 to watch spring practice.
Marcus Wimberly nearing decision?
Four-star safety Marcus Wimberly has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks, adding offers from Utah, Oregon, Alabama and others this spring.
He reposted a tweet on Twitter that read "I feel like I can commit at anytime," which could indicate he's nearing a decision.
The Bauxite native has started to narrow down his choices, listing a Top 7 of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Oregon, Memphis and Michigan.
Sources have indicated to HawgBeat this is mainly a race between Arkansas and Oklahoma. He has an official visit scheduled to Arkansas the weekend of June 21, but so far nothing scheduled for Oklahoma.
That will likely change at some point, but it's something to monitor.
Hogs in good spot for Alabama DB Sidney Walton
Another visitor last weekend was defensive back Sidney Walton out of Moody High School in Alabama.
Moody is the same high school that produced four-star wide receiver Davion Dozier, who figures to be a part of the Razorbacks' rotation in 2024.
Sources told HawgBeat Arkansas is in a good position for Walton's services, because of both the Dozier connection as well as the pipeline the Hogs have built into the state of Alabama.
Tennessee and Ole Miss are two other teams who have been making a push for Walton's services as well.
