He made Arkansas fans sweat it out for a few days, but Nick Smith Jr. ended the suspense by officially signing with the Razorbacks on Saturday.
The five-star recruit out of North Little Rock becomes the fourth player to send in his NLI, joining Jordan Walsh, Joseph Pinion and Barry Dunning Jr., who were announced on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
Smith held a signing event at JJ’s Grill in Fayetteville that was open to the public and had a strong showing of Razorback fans - there to both witness him sign with the Razorbacks and watch Arkansas take on LSU in football.
The signing party marked the second crowd Smith has drawn, the first of which being when he announced his commitment to the Razorbacks in Little Rock.
Smith signing his National Letter of Intent made him the first five-star prospect Musselman has signed at Arkansas and only his second since becoming a college coach. He is also Arkansas’ first five-star signee since Bobby Portis in 2013.
Being a five-star comes with high expectations, particularly being an in-state prospect, but the 6-foot-5 guard has ample film to see that he is the real deal.
The Razorbacks are expecting their fifth and final signature Sunday with four-star in-state commit Derrian Ford.
With all five players signed, sealed, and delivered, the 2022 class could go down as one of the best in program history, especially in the rankings-era.
