The Early Signing Period is in six days and most of Arkansas' commits are set to send in their letters of intent to play for the Razorbacks.
The recruiting season has not come without some attrition, though. Arkansas lost a four-star offensive lineman and three-star JUCO tight end in the last week, and rumors started swirling that four-star defensive end Charleston Collins would flip his commitment to Ole Miss.
Collins reaffirmed his pledge to the Razorbacks on Sunday.
This story is only looking at the high school athletes in the class and won't include the players Arkansas is targeting out of the transfer portal. For more transfer portal coverage, check out The Trough, HawgBeat's premium message board.
With so much change, it's time to take a look at where the Hogs stand with each position group ahead of the Early Signing Period on Dec. 20.
There has been almost zero drama with Arkansas' quarterback commit, four-star KJ Jackson out of Montgomery, Alabama. The left-hander chose the Hogs in April over North Carolina and shut down his recruitment entirely.
Throughout every offensive staff change, from Dan Enos to Bobby Petrino, Jackson has been nothing but supportive of the Hogs.
Braylen Russell jumped back on board for Arkansas after de-committing in Oct. 2022, and thus far has not been rumored to be leaving at all. He chose Arkansas over Tennessee and South Carolina, which rounded out his top-3, as well as Texas A&M, where Petrino was the offensive coordinator before coming back to Arkansas.
Jadan Baugh, on the other hand, has been rumored to flip for a little while now. He took an official visit to Florida this past weekend, and also reported an offer from Alabama at the beginning of November.
The Arkansas coaches saw him at his home on Monday night to shore up his commitment, but we'll have to continue to monitor his status ahead of the Early Signing Period.
I really like the two wide receivers the Hogs have committed in four-star Ashton Bethel-Roman
of Missouri City, Texas, and three-star CJ Brown
of Bentonville.
Since the contact period started on Dec. 1, the coaches have been in-home to see both, and right now I don't see either wavering in their commitments. Bethel-Roman took a gameday visit to Missouri, but as far as I know it was just a visit, nothing more.
I also have to mention Courtney Crutchfield, a four-star Pine Bluff native who de-committed from Arkansas minutes before the Hogs kicked off against Florida, and has been rumored to be heading to Missouri.
Crutchfield told Nate Olson of ScoreBook Live he's "50/50" on where he wants to go and has an official visit to Missouri planned for this coming weekend. Initial reports said he wasn't going to sign until February, but he told Olson he's signing next week.
Right now, the Razorbacks don't have a tight end in the high school ranks, and honestly I think that's okay. That room is stacked with talent with Luke Hasz and Ty Washington returning, as well as a transfer portal commitment from Eastern Michigan's Andreas Paaske.
The Hogs did have Gregory Genross, a JUCO tight end out of Dodge City Community College, but he reopened his recruitment on Tuesday after taking an official visit to Mississippi State over the weekend.
The Hogs lost the commitment of four-star Kai Greer last week, and he just committed to Georgia Tech last night. I'm keeping an eye on three-star Jac'Qawn McRoy, who is committed to Oregon, but it sounds like the Hogs' chances are waning there.
My main issue with this position group is the lack of numbers. For an offensive line that is already having problems due to not enough developed depth, taking just two guys seems like the team is setting itself up for more problems a few years down the line.
I'm going to wrap the entire defensive line up here. The Hogs have two very talented defensive ends in four-stars Kavion Henderson and the aforementioned Charleston Collins. Henderson has repeated on social media he's tight with the Hogs and Collins reaffirmed his pledge as well.
On the interior, the Hogs are going to have to hit the transfer portal.
Logan was on campus for his official visit last weekend and said he loved it. Simmons has been quiet in his recruitment ever since he started getting noticed in May, and he doesn't seem like the guy to go back on his word. It probably helps that his dad is a head coach in the state at Division II Harding University, which is playing for a D-2 National Championship this weekend.
I'm starting to see more smoke on four-star Bradley Shaw of Hoover, Alabama, as well. I'm not ready to pull the trigger on a forecast for him to call the Hogs, but the longer his recruitment goes on, the more I feel convinced the Hogs can snag him.
Shaw's teammate and close friend Jeremy "JuJu" Cook is a committed cornerback for the Razorbacks, too. Shaw took his official visit to Arkansas back in June and was on campus for the BYU game on Sept. 16.
I am really impressed with the coaching staff's recruiting at safety and cornerback in this cycle.
Pulling guys like four-star Selman Bridges and
three-star (formerly a four-star) Jaden Allen
out of Texas was big-time, to say the least.
There was some smoke surrounding JuJu Pope
flipping his commitment to Mississippi State, but the more time that passes I don't think that happens. One thing I have learned is Pope was really close friends with former three-star defensive tackle commit Dion Stutts, who was tragically killed in an ATV accident in June. Stutts' father told me earlier this week the two wanted to play together at the next level.
I also think Ahkhari Johnson could be a guy that surprises early. He played both sides of the ball for Pleasant Grove in Texarkana last season at quarterback and cornerback, and he's really athletic. Having him on board likely helps with four-star athlete Lance Jackson, the younger brother of current Arkansas defensive lineman Landon Jackson.
The recruiting season has not come without some attrition, though. Arkansas lost a four-star offensive lineman and three-star JUCO tight end in the last week, and rumors started swirling that four-star defensive end Charleston Collins would flip his commitment to Ole Miss.
Collins reaffirmed his pledge to the Razorbacks on Sunday.
This story is only looking at the high school athletes in the class and won't include the players Arkansas is targeting out of the transfer portal. For more transfer portal coverage, check out The Trough, HawgBeat's premium message board.
With so much change, it's time to take a look at where the Hogs stand with each position group ahead of the Early Signing Period on Dec. 20.
Quarterback
There has been almost zero drama with Arkansas' quarterback commit, four-star KJ Jackson out of Montgomery, Alabama. The left-hander chose the Hogs in April over North Carolina and shut down his recruitment entirely.
Throughout every offensive staff change, from Dan Enos to Bobby Petrino, Jackson has been nothing but supportive of the Hogs.
Running back
Braylen Russell jumped back on board for Arkansas after de-committing in Oct. 2022, and thus far has not been rumored to be leaving at all. He chose Arkansas over Tennessee and South Carolina, which rounded out his top-3, as well as Texas A&M, where Petrino was the offensive coordinator before coming back to Arkansas.
Jadan Baugh, on the other hand, has been rumored to flip for a little while now. He took an official visit to Florida this past weekend, and also reported an offer from Alabama at the beginning of November.
The Arkansas coaches saw him at his home on Monday night to shore up his commitment, but we'll have to continue to monitor his status ahead of the Early Signing Period.
Wide Receiver
I really like the two wide receivers the Hogs have committed in four-star Ashton Bethel-Roman
of Missouri City, Texas, and three-star CJ Brown
of Bentonville.
Since the contact period started on Dec. 1, the coaches have been in-home to see both, and right now I don't see either wavering in their commitments. Bethel-Roman took a gameday visit to Missouri, but as far as I know it was just a visit, nothing more.
I also have to mention Courtney Crutchfield, a four-star Pine Bluff native who de-committed from Arkansas minutes before the Hogs kicked off against Florida, and has been rumored to be heading to Missouri.
Crutchfield told Nate Olson of ScoreBook Live he's "50/50" on where he wants to go and has an official visit to Missouri planned for this coming weekend. Initial reports said he wasn't going to sign until February, but he told Olson he's signing next week.
Tight End
Right now, the Razorbacks don't have a tight end in the high school ranks, and honestly I think that's okay. That room is stacked with talent with Luke Hasz and Ty Washington returning, as well as a transfer portal commitment from Eastern Michigan's Andreas Paaske.
The Hogs did have Gregory Genross, a JUCO tight end out of Dodge City Community College, but he reopened his recruitment on Tuesday after taking an official visit to Mississippi State over the weekend.
Offensive Line
This has been the most disappointing of position groups in the recruiting class. That's no knock against Zuri Madison or Kobe Branham, both three-stars in the class. I really like their films and think they can contribute, but they're going to take some time to develop.The Hogs lost the commitment of four-star Kai Greer last week, and he just committed to Georgia Tech last night. I'm keeping an eye on three-star Jac'Qawn McRoy, who is committed to Oregon, but it sounds like the Hogs' chances are waning there.
My main issue with this position group is the lack of numbers. For an offensive line that is already having problems due to not enough developed depth, taking just two guys seems like the team is setting itself up for more problems a few years down the line.
Defensive line
I'm going to wrap the entire defensive line up here. The Hogs have two very talented defensive ends in four-stars Kavion Henderson and the aforementioned Charleston Collins. Henderson has repeated on social media he's tight with the Hogs and Collins reaffirmed his pledge as well.
On the interior, the Hogs are going to have to hit the transfer portal.
Linebacker
Both three-stars Wyatt Simmons and Justin Logan are firm to the Hogs. I don't have any reason to believe either are considering switching up their commitment.Logan was on campus for his official visit last weekend and said he loved it. Simmons has been quiet in his recruitment ever since he started getting noticed in May, and he doesn't seem like the guy to go back on his word. It probably helps that his dad is a head coach in the state at Division II Harding University, which is playing for a D-2 National Championship this weekend.
I'm starting to see more smoke on four-star Bradley Shaw of Hoover, Alabama, as well. I'm not ready to pull the trigger on a forecast for him to call the Hogs, but the longer his recruitment goes on, the more I feel convinced the Hogs can snag him.
Shaw's teammate and close friend Jeremy "JuJu" Cook is a committed cornerback for the Razorbacks, too. Shaw took his official visit to Arkansas back in June and was on campus for the BYU game on Sept. 16.
Secondary
I am really impressed with the coaching staff's recruiting at safety and cornerback in this cycle.
Pulling guys like four-star Selman Bridges and
three-star (formerly a four-star) Jaden Allen
out of Texas was big-time, to say the least.
There was some smoke surrounding JuJu Pope
flipping his commitment to Mississippi State, but the more time that passes I don't think that happens. One thing I have learned is Pope was really close friends with former three-star defensive tackle commit Dion Stutts, who was tragically killed in an ATV accident in June. Stutts' father told me earlier this week the two wanted to play together at the next level.
I also think Ahkhari Johnson could be a guy that surprises early. He played both sides of the ball for Pleasant Grove in Texarkana last season at quarterback and cornerback, and he's really athletic. Having him on board likely helps with four-star athlete Lance Jackson, the younger brother of current Arkansas defensive lineman Landon Jackson.
