Coming off a disappointing season that saw Arkansas finish with a 4-8 (1-7 SEC) overall record, head coach Sam Pittman and the rest of the Razorbacks' coaching staff set out to make considerable changes to the roster through the 2024 high school recruiting class.
With 16 signees, Pittman hopes that the scholarship newcomers will help in the effort to turn around the program in the wake of the new 12-team College Football Playoff structure.
HawgBeat will profile each of the new freshmen from the 34th nationally ranked recruiting class to help fans familiarize themselves with the fresh faces on the roster ahead of spring practice and the 2024 season.
Next up, we will look at three-star athlete CJ Brown out of Bentonville.
Ranked as one of the top overall prospects in the state of Arkansas, Brown received offers from programs like Kansas State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Purdue and Vanderbilt before ultimately committing to the Razorbacks on June 15, 2023.
Standing at 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, Brown was a multi-sport athlete in high school and has a recorded 100-meter time of 11.03 seconds as a junior. He also posted a long jump of 22-2 in Spring 2023.
"Originally, I'm from Cleveland, but I moved here when I was young," Brown said on Jan. 27. "But I've lived here all my life. As you can assume, it means the world to me that my team that lives 20 minutes down the road from me offers me to come play at their school where I can stay close. It means a lot to me and my family.”
As a senior, Brown finished with 55 catches for 1,254 yards (22.8 YPC) and 15 touchdowns. He also completed one pass for a 62-yard touchdown and rushed twice for 81 yards and two scores. Brown returned five kickoffs for 373 yards and three touchdowns during the 2023 campaign.
Despite being listed as an athlete, it's all but certain that Brown will play at the wide receiver position for the Hogs in 2024. With high-end speed and a knack for finding space in the open field, new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino should have ample ways to utilize Brown's skillset throughout his career.
"There's nothing but positive things talked about Bobby Petrino," Brown said in an interview with ESPN Arkansas. "He's an offensive genius, as people call him. I'm really excited to get into his system.
"He'll sit down in the film room and start breaking stuff down and you can't do anything but just be quiet and listen because of how amazing it is and how his mind processes football and offenses in general," Brown said. "I'm a really technical person and getting taught by another technical person, I think that's going to work really well for me."
Brown will join a wide receiver room that includes returners like Andrew Armstrong, Isaac TeSlaa, Tyrone Broden, Isaiah Sategna and Jaedon Wilson.
Other Newcomer Profiles:
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