The Razorbacks were some of the first ones in on Lufkin safety Jerrin Thompson. They offered before the stars and rankings, but now several other elite programs have jumped on board and it's looking like a very tough battle is coming up for this ball hawk.

Thompson cut his top eight schools yesterday to Arkansas, TCU, Baylor, LSU, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. The only school on the list that Thompson has visited so far is TCU on February 2. He picked up his LSU offer right before making the cut.

"I cut my list down just so my decision can be easier," Thompson said. "I just felt like I can see myself at the schools that made it."

Thompson is one of four elite safeties on the HawgBeat Big Board and the Hogs might've had a leg up on the competition if not for the decommitment of Thompson's teammate from Arkansas to SFA late in the process.