Arkansas Head Hog 'excited' and satisfied with early signing day haul
New Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and his half-complete staff were looking forward to anywhere between 6-8 signees on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, and finished strong with seven.
"I’m not telling you we didn’t want some other guys that may have went somewhere else, but the ones we have currently on the roster are the ones that we wanted," Pittman said Wednesday afternoon.
The two prospects they weren't able to flip were Louisiana safety Donovan Johnson and in-state quarterback Jacolby Criswell who both signed with the schools they'd been committed to for months, Virginia and North Carolina respectively.
As for the seven that did sign, Pittman had some rave reviews:
"We went in there to his school on maybe Wednesday or Thursday. He’s an early out (January enrollee). We liked his tape when we were in school. His mother by the way is awesome. When coach Odom got here we sat down and watched the tape on him and we liked a lot of things that he did. We think that he can play a Will linebacker, possibly a nickel/Sam - maybe even a strong safety because he has good speed and we are very, very excited that we were able to get him." - Pittman
"Wallace was the second guy that I saw as a head coach at Arkansas. They have a great family, wonderful home and he loves the Razorbacks. This guy right here is a really good football player. I think he can play defensive end, stand up as what you might call a Jack linebacker or weakside backer. I think you can stand him up in a three-down front. I think you can put him down on the line in a four-man front. But we're really excited about him and his ability to run with his length. I'm not positive where we will play him, but I am positive that we're excited he's on our football team." - Pittman
"Jashaud Stewart was the first guy as a head coach at Arkansas that I was able to see. The thing I like about him is he’s relentless in his effort, the way he plays the game. I had no idea that he’s really as big as what he was. I had watched his tape. Obviously I didn’t know him well. But I knew he loved the Razorbacks. So after the PC last Monday, that evening we flew out there. He was the first guy I was able to see. And what a wonderful family and what a wonderful kid. Obviously we’re excited about him.
"He’s exactly what we want motor-wise, physicality. So we’re certainly going to try to get him on the field as fast we can." - Pittman
"Dominique Johnson is a big physical running back out of Crowley Texas. He had been on some different trips. He was another one that had been involved with Missouri. We felt like we needed a big, physical back. So we went after him, and he was ecstatic to be a part of the U of Arkansas. He committed to us over the last day or two." - Pittman
"Blayne Toll, went to see him on Tuesday of last week. They had some of the best barbecue possible in Arkansas at their house. The parents are unbelievable. Just very, very fine folks. He’s an early out. He’ll be here in January. Great looking kid. We’re looking at him at several positions on the D-line. He can run. He loves the Razorbacks. His parents love the Razorbacks. He was one that was committed to us that stayed with us. Currently they’re in Cancun." - Pittman
"He came this past weekend on an official visit. He was at one time committed to the U of Missouri. And when coach Davis came over he certainly went after him. He’s got everything that we want. He has size. He has good feet. He has weight. We just thought he would fit into what an Arkansas offensive lineman should be. So Coach Brad Davis did a good job of recruiting him and he was here this weekend and just very, very excited about him. I think he’ll be a good player for us." - Pittman
"Myles Slusher committed to us last night at about a quarter till midnight. His decision was weighing on him. His parents came in here and himself this weekend. I had been recruiting Myles when I was at the U of Ga. There’s a lot of excitement about him. He has speed. He comes from Broken Arrow. David Alexander is the head coach. They won the state his junior year. He has outstanding parents in Blanca and PJ. He was a good get for us." - Pittman
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