The Arkansas Razorbacks have a good recent hit rate with junior college recruits and they're now on the prowl for more experienced talent in the 2021 class.
In 2018, Arkansas signed two junior college players that turned out pretty well, Rakeem Boyd and Dorian Gerald, and of the Hogs' two additions in 2019, one was a starter last season, Myron Cunningham.
Pittman noted after signing one junior college prospect, 6-foot-7 defensive lineman Julius Coates, in his first class at Arkansas that JUCO athletes are great–if you can evaluate them well enough.
"Junior college wise, I never want to go heavy junior college because I think we can build our team young," Pittman said. "I just want the best players we can get, so if we can go into the junior colleges and get one, two or three outstanding players that we think can change our program immediately, you have to be right on that now, you have to be correct on your evaluation. I don’t think we’d ever sign a whole huge number of junior college players just because I believe you have to base your whole program out of freshman and start in the state of Arkansas."
Pittman's staff has offered 11 2021 JUCO prospects and five of them are committed as of mid-June. Linebacker Gereme Spragins of Hutchinson C.C. committed to Maryland. Defensive tackle Isaiah Coe from Iowa Western, cut the Hogs out of his top five then announced his pledge to Oklahoma. Indy C.C. linebacker Joko Willis committed to Kentucky and his tight end teammate Quentin Moore committed to Washington. Finally, defensive back Jadarrius Perkins out of Mississippi Gulf Coast committed to Oregon.
The head hog hired long-time Hutchinson head coach Rion Rhoades to coach his linebackers and his connections should help ensure Arkansas has the latest and best intel on the top prospects.
The Arkansas Razorbacks got in early on Garden City C.C. defensive end Arvell Ferguson but it could be his ties to Barry Odom and the former Missouri coaches on Arkansas's staff that gets him to campus.
The St. Louis native was committed to Missouri from September of his senior season until the late signing period when he announced he'd be taking a detour to Garden City before getting back on his path to a DI program. Ferguson cited his "lack of hard work" in his underclassmen years as the reason why he fell too far behind to qualify to play at Missouri.
