In Power 5 football, you are who you recruit (and develop).

The 2021 Razorbacks will enter the season with players who signed for three different coaching staffs from 2016 through 2021. There are only two 2016 signees left on campus, but a look back at this class and what they produced during their time as Razorbacks can give readers a better understanding of how the team ended up going through a historically bad stretch leading into the Sam Pittman era.

A trip down memory lane...

McTelvin "Sosa" Agim - The highest ranked member of Arkansas's 2016 class, Sosa lived up to the billing. He cracked the starting lineup as a true freshman and was voted an All-SEC freshman by the coaches. A four-year starter + 3rd round draft pick.

Briston Guidry - A top-15 Louisiana prospect, Guidry showed flashes in his redshirt freshman and rs sophomore seasons on the defensive line but injuries forced an early medical retirement.

T.J. Hammonds - Due to eligibility relief provided by the NCAA due to COVID-19, Little Rock native T.J. Hammonds gets another crack at living up to his 4-star classification. He's been a sparingly used contributor thus far moving back and forth from running back to wideout.

Devwah Whaley - Despite never truly breaking out as "the" star, Whaley was the team's second leading rusher all four years in Fayetteville and should be remembered as a solid contributor.

Austin Capps - Star City native Austin Capps was a contributor on both sides of the ball after switching from defensive tackle to offensive line when the Hogs were low on numbers in 2018. He ended up getting eight starts as a senior.

Alexy Jean-Baptiste - A 3-star safety signee at 205 pounds, the Florida native played linebacker for the Hogs but never significantly contributed. Baptiste transferred to FIU where he's now a defensive end at 245 pounds. He'll take advantage of the extra year to play again in 2021.

Jake Heinrich - Heinrich, a 3-star offensive line signee out of Iowa, had to medically retire after rupturing multiple discs in his back.

Jordan Jones - Smackover native Jordan Jones finished 3rd and 4th in receiving yards in 2017 and 2018 but decided to transfer to Cincinnati after an injury sidelined him in 2019. After a 13-reception season for the Bearcats, he's returning for one more year in 2021.

De'Jon "Scoota" Harris - Scoota Harris ended up being a three-year starter at linebacker and just the fourth Razorback to notch three 100+ tackle seasons in a row. Selected to the All-SEC second team in multiple years, Harris was signed as an undrafted free agent.

Hayden Johnson - The last fullback the Hogs signed, Hayden Johnson, a Missouri native, was a minimal contributor for the Hogs at tight end and on special teams for four seasons.

Kofi Boateng - Texas receiver Kofi Boateng tore his ACL early in his Arkansas career and didn't make an impact before announcing a retirement. Boateng did end up putting his name in the portal but it doesn't look like any team picked him up.

Dee Walker - A Georgia native, linebacker Dee Walker was dismissed from the team after he was arrested on drugs and weapon charges. Prior to his arrest, Walker was on the two-deep in 2018 and appeared in all 12 games.

Cole Kelley - Despite once rallying Arkansas back from a 24-pt deficit to Ole Miss, Louisiana native Cole Kelley transferred after losing out on the starting job in part one of the Chad Morris QB carousel. Kelley transferred to Southeastern Louisiana where he was the backup quarterback in 2019.

Grayson Gunter - A signee from Mississippi, Gunter certainly would've been a big help to the Hogs in 2020 but he opted to transfer to Southern Miss after Morris was fired. He was a backup during his three active years on the Hill but started every game for Southern Miss in 2020.

Deon Edwards - Mostly a special teams contributor after redshirting, Deon Edwards was going to try to find somewhere else to play for his extra year but he changed his mind and will now play at Arkansas again in 2021. Signed as a defensive back, the Florida native was a backup LB on the two-deep in 2020.

Giovanni LaFrance - Linebacker Giovanni LaFrance hardly contributed at Arkansas and opted to transfer to Nicholls State. He was a backup in 2019 and is waiting to play the 2020 season this spring.

Jonathan Marshall - A success story with no clear ending yet, Jonathan Marshall took a few years to get going and to earn his starting job but the defensive tackle played his was onto draft boards in 2020. Marshall earned AP All-SEC second-team honors.

Dylan Hays - An in-state blueshirt signee from Little Rock, defensive tackle Dylan Hays had to medically retire after one season on the Hill.

Micahh Smith - Micahh Smith worked hard for five years to get playing time but the former Texas 2-star decided to transfer for his extra year after undergoing season-ending surgery in November. Smith played the most snaps in the 2019 season as backup nickel.

Paul Ramirez - A signee from San Bernardino Valley C.C., Paul Ramirez contributed minorly in 2017, making three starts.

Britto Tutt - Often injured, Britto Tutt played as a backup corner in several games but didn't record a stat in his last year before opting to transfer for a sixth year of eligibility elsewhere.

Deion Malone - Coming to Arkansas from Northwest Mississippi C.C., Deion Malone didn't contribute to the Hogs in his three seasons after flippin from OL to DL then back to OL. Tearing his ACL in 2018, Malone opted to transfer. He earned first-team all-conference honors at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Michael Taylor - Riverside C.C. signee Michael Taylor was another minor contributor. he didn't really play much until his third year at Arkansas. He ended up getting one start in 2018.

Jake Raulerson - A defensive end turned offensive lineman, Raulerson transferred from Texas to Arkansas as a graduate and ended up starting nine games over two seasons–a solid contributor.

This class was certainly a doozy looking back on it in retrospect. It was Bret Bielema's second to last recruiting class and it finished at No. 30 in the country–11th in the SEC.

Out of the 24 additions, only three ended up starting for a full season or more. Seven contributed multiple starts or played significant roles. Seven more players contributed backup snaps. There were three medical retirements and one felony arrest. Nine either successfully transferred or tried to find a transfer destination–none at the Power 5 level.

The staff change that occured in 2018 and the ensuing downward spiral undoubtedly contributed to the decimation of this class but it's also a bit of a chicken or the egg situation. Had the 2016 class (and 2017 class, but we'll get to that later) been better evaluated and recruited, we may not have seen such an abrupt loss in competitiveness that the Razorbacks had heading into the Pittman era.