Several Arkansas football targets — including one who is already committed to the Razorbacks — descended upon Arlington, Texas, on Sunday to participate in the Under Armour Next Camp series to show off their skills.
It was a cold morning that turned into a warm afternoon, and the camp directors made use of both indoor and outdoor facilities at Martin High School. Players started by going through 40-yard dash time tests, long and high jumps and other individual work before getting to the good stuff.
The camp primarily featured players in the classes of 2025 and 2026, but there were a handful of 2027 kids in attendance as well. Arkansas had two quarterback targets — four-star commit Grayson Wilson and 2026 Greenwood quarterback Kane Archer.
When looking at the roster, there were 20 players that Arkansas had interest in that were competing in the camp. Not all of those showed up, though. I zeroed in on four Arkansas targets, some of whom appeared to steal the show, as well as one in-state target that I think earns an offer before it's all said and done.
Two players from each position group were given MVP awards for their performances. Both the defensive line and quarterback position included in-state athletes.
Let's talk about the things that stood out the most from the Under Armour Next Camp:
Danny Beale plays both offensive and defensive line for Cross County in eastern Arkansas, and that's how he is being recruited to the Razorbacks. He competed on the defensive line in the camp and suffice to say, he was the most impressive of the bunch.
It wasn't just the strength to push directly past — or in one case straight bull rush — the offensive linemen, as Beale looked like a god among men on the line. I only saw one time where an offensive lineman was able to contain him.
Beale already has several SEC offers including Arkansas, and it's extremely easy to see why. He's got a twitchy body and is explosive off the line for someone who is already standing at 6-foot-4, 300-pounds.
The Cherry Valley native was named one of the MVPs of the defensive line at the camp for his performance. Multiple times during the defensive line portion of the camp, I heard media members around me say some form of the question, "who is this guy and where is he from?"
It's early, but I like where Arkansas is at in his recruitment. Getting all the big-brand schools in on him makes me wary, but Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams and offensive line coach Eric Mateos can be a dangerous duo on the recruiting trail.
In both the 40-yard dash and high jump categories on Saturday, the name at the top was always the same: Marcus Wimberly.
The Bauxite product lasered a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, had the highest long jump of the camp and probably could have benched the most had they competed in it as he can currently lift 325 rounds for eight reps.
On the field, Wimberly struggled to start out but recovered well. In one-on-one drills between wide receivers and defensive backs, he didn't get turned around quickly enough and let his receiver get a good five yards of separation.
If it weren't for an under-thrown ball allowing him to recover and get the pass deflection, he would have been cooked.
But Wimberly improved. By my count, he only allowed one more reception by a receiver, and that was a circus catch that some might argue would have been offensive pass interference in a real game.
When they moved to the indoor practice facility, Wimberly did a good job staying in the receiver's pocket and not allowing much separation. He did go down with some form of a leg injury, but he said afterward it wasn't anything serious.
The title of "best quarterback in the state" isn't any disrespect to Wilson, either. Archer didn't finish as one of the two best quarterbacks in the camp according to the coaches, but he caught my eye in more ways than one.
First, Archer just looks the part. His body looks like it's been molded for a quarterback. A few throws got away from him, but the thing that impressed me most with him was his consistency. Archer's footwork, mechanics, release and accuracy were very rarely sloppy.
People see film of Archer and think of the circus throws or dancing around that creates time for a wide receiver to get open, but I think Archer's real strengths lie in his fundamentals.
The first time I got to see Archer was when the quarterbacks were throwing on the run. Obviously, there was no defense which can give a false impression of someone's abilities, but he threw well.
The quarterbacks were just rotating and throwing to each other during the drills. The final throw of the period was a roughly 30-yard pass into the back of the end zone, and it was a throw that an SEC wide receiver can catch.
When they got indoors, Archer continued to make good throws. There were a few that on the surface looked like they were overthrown, but from my vantage point the issue was the receiver slowing down or not getting to the spot fast enough.
Based on what Archer's performance on Sunday, I have zero qualms with making the statement that Archer is the best quarterback in the state of Arkansas at any classification and in any recruiting class.
Having 16 total college offers tells that story already, especially the fact that he's been getting those offers since he was in middle school. Missouri was the first, and now Arkansas, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and more have jumped in the ring.
Grayson Wilson has done a lot of winning the last few days. Fresh off an Arkansas 3A basketball state championship, he was named one of two MVP quarterbacks in the camp on Sunday.
That was actually a surprise to me because I thought there were quarterbacks there who were flashier. Wilson didn't do anything terribly wrong, though.
He missed a few throws in the period with receivers and defensive backs, but he didn't throw any interceptions and I didn't see his accuracy as an issue.
Wilson didn't have many "wow" throws, but he was accurate, tactical and hit receivers mostly in-stride, which is exactly what you want from a quarterback.
Mechanics are the biggest improvement I see for Wilson. He throws a pretty deep ball and his footwork has looked better. Petrino has said in the past that footwork is the hardest thing for true freshmen to correct so it was good to see him already making strides in that area.
Where I'd like to see Wilson improve most is the arm strength. He's got a good amount of it, and I don't have worries about his arm not translating to the SEC level, but I'd like to see more zip on the ball. The windows get tighter when you get to college, and while he possesses enough strength to make those throws now, adding more will allow his accuracy to flourish when he gets to Fayetteville.
Speaking of accuracy, that was one of the question marks many had for Wilson. I didn't see that as a persistent issue on Sunday. He did underthrow a few balls, but it wasn't anything extreme and I don't see it as something that will extend into his senior year.
I've mentioned it before, but Wilson seems to fit Bobby Petrino's offense like a glove. He's got a decent set of wheels, but uses them mostly to extend plays and find wide receivers.
Wilson is a cerebral thrower who I think will pick up the Arkansas offense quickly. Understanding how Petrino's offense works will lead to him being able to spend more time working on the physical aspects of his game, which will allow him to grow more as a passer.
Perhaps it's just the way they make them down in Greenwood, but Cody Taylor has the look of someone special. He wasn't any taking reps off or slowing down, and his motor is always pedal to the metal with no stoppages.
After each drill when the coach would tell the players to move on to something else, Taylor was usually one of the first guys to get in line or the huddle. Some people might call that being a teacher's pet, but I saw it as someone wanting to glean the most out of his time with the coaches.
Taylor's footwork was the first thing that stuck out to me. It's very clear that it's been a focal point of his offseason work, something he confirmed to me once the day was over. His hands could use a little work though.
The Greenwood native projects as the college tackle and he has the length and speed to excel there. During one-on-one drills, he did get beat a couple times. Taylor didn't get run over, but he's going to need to add some size and strength to his frame. Luckily for him, he's got some time to get that taken care of before he moves on to the collegiate ranks.
It was a cold morning that turned into a warm afternoon, and the camp directors made use of both indoor and outdoor facilities at Martin High School. Players started by going through 40-yard dash time tests, long and high jumps and other individual work before getting to the good stuff.
The camp primarily featured players in the classes of 2025 and 2026, but there were a handful of 2027 kids in attendance as well. Arkansas had two quarterback targets — four-star commit Grayson Wilson and 2026 Greenwood quarterback Kane Archer.
When looking at the roster, there were 20 players that Arkansas had interest in that were competing in the camp. Not all of those showed up, though. I zeroed in on four Arkansas targets, some of whom appeared to steal the show, as well as one in-state target that I think earns an offer before it's all said and done.
Two players from each position group were given MVP awards for their performances. Both the defensive line and quarterback position included in-state athletes.
Let's talk about the things that stood out the most from the Under Armour Next Camp:
Danny Beale is a problem
Danny Beale plays both offensive and defensive line for Cross County in eastern Arkansas, and that's how he is being recruited to the Razorbacks. He competed on the defensive line in the camp and suffice to say, he was the most impressive of the bunch.
It wasn't just the strength to push directly past — or in one case straight bull rush — the offensive linemen, as Beale looked like a god among men on the line. I only saw one time where an offensive lineman was able to contain him.
Beale already has several SEC offers including Arkansas, and it's extremely easy to see why. He's got a twitchy body and is explosive off the line for someone who is already standing at 6-foot-4, 300-pounds.
The Cherry Valley native was named one of the MVPs of the defensive line at the camp for his performance. Multiple times during the defensive line portion of the camp, I heard media members around me say some form of the question, "who is this guy and where is he from?"
It's early, but I like where Arkansas is at in his recruitment. Getting all the big-brand schools in on him makes me wary, but Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams and offensive line coach Eric Mateos can be a dangerous duo on the recruiting trail.
Marcus Wimberly has the goods and the stats to prove it
In both the 40-yard dash and high jump categories on Saturday, the name at the top was always the same: Marcus Wimberly.
The Bauxite product lasered a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, had the highest long jump of the camp and probably could have benched the most had they competed in it as he can currently lift 325 rounds for eight reps.
On the field, Wimberly struggled to start out but recovered well. In one-on-one drills between wide receivers and defensive backs, he didn't get turned around quickly enough and let his receiver get a good five yards of separation.
If it weren't for an under-thrown ball allowing him to recover and get the pass deflection, he would have been cooked.
But Wimberly improved. By my count, he only allowed one more reception by a receiver, and that was a circus catch that some might argue would have been offensive pass interference in a real game.
When they moved to the indoor practice facility, Wimberly did a good job staying in the receiver's pocket and not allowing much separation. He did go down with some form of a leg injury, but he said afterward it wasn't anything serious.
Kane Archer is the best quarterback in Arkansas and it isn't close
The title of "best quarterback in the state" isn't any disrespect to Wilson, either. Archer didn't finish as one of the two best quarterbacks in the camp according to the coaches, but he caught my eye in more ways than one.
First, Archer just looks the part. His body looks like it's been molded for a quarterback. A few throws got away from him, but the thing that impressed me most with him was his consistency. Archer's footwork, mechanics, release and accuracy were very rarely sloppy.
People see film of Archer and think of the circus throws or dancing around that creates time for a wide receiver to get open, but I think Archer's real strengths lie in his fundamentals.
The first time I got to see Archer was when the quarterbacks were throwing on the run. Obviously, there was no defense which can give a false impression of someone's abilities, but he threw well.
The quarterbacks were just rotating and throwing to each other during the drills. The final throw of the period was a roughly 30-yard pass into the back of the end zone, and it was a throw that an SEC wide receiver can catch.
When they got indoors, Archer continued to make good throws. There were a few that on the surface looked like they were overthrown, but from my vantage point the issue was the receiver slowing down or not getting to the spot fast enough.
Based on what Archer's performance on Sunday, I have zero qualms with making the statement that Archer is the best quarterback in the state of Arkansas at any classification and in any recruiting class.
Having 16 total college offers tells that story already, especially the fact that he's been getting those offers since he was in middle school. Missouri was the first, and now Arkansas, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and more have jumped in the ring.
Grayson Wilson is tailor-made for Bobby Petrino's offense
Grayson Wilson has done a lot of winning the last few days. Fresh off an Arkansas 3A basketball state championship, he was named one of two MVP quarterbacks in the camp on Sunday.
That was actually a surprise to me because I thought there were quarterbacks there who were flashier. Wilson didn't do anything terribly wrong, though.
He missed a few throws in the period with receivers and defensive backs, but he didn't throw any interceptions and I didn't see his accuracy as an issue.
Wilson didn't have many "wow" throws, but he was accurate, tactical and hit receivers mostly in-stride, which is exactly what you want from a quarterback.
Mechanics are the biggest improvement I see for Wilson. He throws a pretty deep ball and his footwork has looked better. Petrino has said in the past that footwork is the hardest thing for true freshmen to correct so it was good to see him already making strides in that area.
Where I'd like to see Wilson improve most is the arm strength. He's got a good amount of it, and I don't have worries about his arm not translating to the SEC level, but I'd like to see more zip on the ball. The windows get tighter when you get to college, and while he possesses enough strength to make those throws now, adding more will allow his accuracy to flourish when he gets to Fayetteville.
Speaking of accuracy, that was one of the question marks many had for Wilson. I didn't see that as a persistent issue on Sunday. He did underthrow a few balls, but it wasn't anything extreme and I don't see it as something that will extend into his senior year.
I've mentioned it before, but Wilson seems to fit Bobby Petrino's offense like a glove. He's got a decent set of wheels, but uses them mostly to extend plays and find wide receivers.
Wilson is a cerebral thrower who I think will pick up the Arkansas offense quickly. Understanding how Petrino's offense works will lead to him being able to spend more time working on the physical aspects of his game, which will allow him to grow more as a passer.
Cody Taylor is going to make an OL coach extremely happy one day
Perhaps it's just the way they make them down in Greenwood, but Cody Taylor has the look of someone special. He wasn't any taking reps off or slowing down, and his motor is always pedal to the metal with no stoppages.
After each drill when the coach would tell the players to move on to something else, Taylor was usually one of the first guys to get in line or the huddle. Some people might call that being a teacher's pet, but I saw it as someone wanting to glean the most out of his time with the coaches.
Taylor's footwork was the first thing that stuck out to me. It's very clear that it's been a focal point of his offseason work, something he confirmed to me once the day was over. His hands could use a little work though.
The Greenwood native projects as the college tackle and he has the length and speed to excel there. During one-on-one drills, he did get beat a couple times. Taylor didn't get run over, but he's going to need to add some size and strength to his frame. Luckily for him, he's got some time to get that taken care of before he moves on to the collegiate ranks.
