Arkansas defensive staff plans to hit new territories in recruiting
Since Sam Pittman has been at the helm of the Arkansas football program, the Razorbacks have made a concerted effort to recruit heavily in the state of Georgia, as well as Oklahoma and Texas.
It’s a given, looking at Pittman’s experience on the Georgia staff and his upbringing in Oklahoma, but it's time to extend the Razorbacks' reach.
With three new faces on the Arkansas defensive coaching staff comes the opportunity to recruit new territories the Hogs have not hit very hard during recent cycles.
Arkansas co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson talked about his ties to a few key southern states on Wednesday.
“The southeast is primarily the footprint of where I’ve experienced recruiting,” Woodson said. “Florida, obviously coming from Florida State, I had an area there. Mississippi is my home state. So I feel like any kid that’s an SEC-caliber player that can help us get better, we’ll have a chance to go into that state and compete.”
Arkansas has had some recent success when it comes to recruiting Mississippi. Starting quarterback KJ Jefferson came from Sardis, and new linebacker signee Alex Sanford Jr. came to Arkansas out of Oxford.
Florida has also been kind to Arkansas in years past as well, primarily at the running back position. Alex Collins — who started for Arkansas and played under offensive coordinator Dan Enos during his first stint with the Hogs from 2015 to 2017 — came from Miami. Current running back Raheim Sanders was a four-star recruit out of Rockledge, and 2023 running back signee Isaiah Augustave — who will join the Hogs over the summer — hails from Naples.
The state that Arkansas needs the most help in recruiting in is Louisiana. Arkansas hasn’t pulled in a recruit from the Pelican State since the class of 2020. Granted, it is extremely difficult to get highly-rated Louisiana prospects to come to Fayetteville, but new secondary coach Deron Wilson has ties to the state that should help in that regard.
“He comes from the family of a coach,” Sam Pittman said during the press conference. “A very well respected coach, a respected recruiter in his (uncle), Frank. But he’s a different guy. He’s not his (uncle) … He has Louisiana ties.”
Wilson played high school football in New Orleans before playing in college at Southern Miss. He was named defensive coordinator at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 2020. When he chose to come to Arkansas, he had most recently spent a year working in a quality control - cornerbacks position at Florida.
Recruiting territories like Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana are undoubtedly important, but Woodson said they don’t want to stick to just the south; the staff wants to find the best players across the nation.
“Collectively, as a staff, I feel like we can go anywhere in the country and recruit, because this is Arkansas,” Woodson said.