Arkansas Recruiting Notebook: Pittman talks potential super seniors
Take a deep breath, sit back and enjoy the current state of college football, because an avalanche is on the horizon.
On Dec. 4, the official transfer portal window opens and stays that way for 30 days until Jan. 3 of 2024. Those 30 days will be a blizzard of high-profile names, junior college players and average-joes looking for a new school to call home.
For the Arkansas Razorbacks, though, this process has started a bit earlier than expected. After getting dismantled by the Auburn Tigers last weekend, the Hogs can no longer reach the six-win requirement to become bowl-eligible, so getting a head start on next season is paramount.
In Arkansas' case, preparing for next season means recruiting players from junior colleges, the transfer portal and even players still on the roster that are eligible to return with an extra COVID year.
COVID-Seniors
Head coach Sam Pittman commented on what conversations he's had — if any — with current Razorbacks that have an additional year left to use.
"You know I mess with them when I walk by them, you know, ‘What number do you want to change to next year?' Pittman said. "Do you like your number? You know like Hudson Clark, I’m messing with him all the time like does he like Gatorade or water at practice. Just messing with him. But no not really. I think all those things are still probably the Monday after the Missouri game."
A player that immediately comes to mind is starting quarterback KJ Jefferson. This season, the senior signal caller has completed 173-266 passes (65.0%) for 1,918 yards and 16 touchdowns. He's also carried the ball 144 times for 342 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
"We haven’t spoke about that either with him," Pittman said. "I think probably going into the season, we thought definitely this would be his last year. But I don’t know where he stands right now. Again, the portal doesn’t open up for a week or eight days after our game or whatever it is, so we’ll have plenty of time to sit down and talk about it."
If Jefferson decides not to return to Fayetteville, the Razorbacks still have a shot at returning multiple quality players to next year's roster according to Pittman.
"I do, I really do," Pittman said. "I think we’ll have a high number of those guys. You know, with the way the season’s been, obviously everybody is disappointed and of course the season’s not over. We have two very important games.
"But I think with how it’s gone the team for the most part, the kids want to be here and they don’t want to leave out on (a bad note). I think they’ve had some success and they want to go back and prove that we can have it again. So I think a high majority of those guys could come back."
Transfer Portal
As mentioned above, the transfer portal window doesn't officially open until Dec. 4. However, there are some cases where a player can enter early, like if a coach gets fired.
One player taking advantage of that rule is Michigan State offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock, who officially visited Arkansas last weekend during the Auburn game.
“They treat me like I’m a priority here,” Blackstock said. “They need me. Coach Pittman keeps reminding me of that, so I feel like that’s big.
“Just having a relationship with coach Pittman and the guys and how they bond and gel with each other,” Blackstock said. “I got guys here like Owen Lawson, a punter that’s here. Amaury Wiggins that I played junior college with. So I really trust those guys and the insight they’ve given me into the program. I feel like that that’s tremendous to me I talked to (Travis Williams) and guys like that in the staff and like ‘We need guys upfront. It starts with the trenches’. I feel like that’s big and I’m a priority here.”
Blackstock is the first of what will be many transfer portal players contacted by Arkansas. Once the floodgates open it'll be a whirlpool of non-stop visits, interests and commitments around the nation.
"Man, even when I was buckling you up, I wasn’t ready for that express train," Pittman said. "I knew there was going to be a lot. I don’t know… I don’t see anything like a year ago, but if it is, we’ll adjust. But I don’t see anything like that. The first thing we’re going to try to do is look at the plus-ones that obviously can help the team and things of that nature and talk to them and see if we can get that going.
"We’ll have… There’s always, and you know it, there’s always that one or two guys where you’re going, ‘Man, I didn’t see that coming.’ But otherwise, I think we pretty much know. At this point in time in the season, you can kind of tell by mannerisms and things of that nature who may go into the portal and who may not. There will be a surprise, I’m sure, like every squad has."
For now, Pittman and the Hogs are focusing their efforts on the junior college ranks.
Junior College
Over the last couple weeks, the Razorbacks have contacted and offered multiple prospects from the junior college ranks.
Most recently, Hinds Community College linebacker Branden Jennings and East Mississippi Community College defensive lineman Shone Washington have reported offers from the Hogs.
On top of that, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College offensive lineman Jaekwon Bouldin confirmed to HawgBeat that he'll be visting Fayetteville this weekend for the FIU game. A 6-foot-7, 350-pound offensive tackle, Bouldin could provide a daunting presence at a major position of need for the Razorbacks.
"Certainly, we’ve got to do something with the offensive line," Pittman said. "And then you can look at each position that we have, and you probably could have a pretty good idea because you're familiar with the program and follow it. You could probably have a pretty good idea of where we might go in the portal or in junior college to enhance our football team. I don't want to specifically say.
"I think everyone knows that we’ve got to go get some offensive linemen. Other than that, I’d rather not go much further than that right now. We’re certainly trying to improve our football team and there are positions that we need to do that on. I just don’t want to talk specifically on those, if you don’t mind."
For other players that have reported interest from the Razorbacks, visit The Trough.