COLUMN: New Staff Proving There's No Reason You Can't Recruit to Arkansas

It was June 1st and Hog Nation was getting very, very anxious. Arkansas only had four commits in their 2019 class compared to most SEC classes with eight or more commits at the time. The Razorbacks were consistently in the mix for recruits but they just weren't locking anyone down.

That's when the classic line, "It's just too hard to recruit top talent to Arkansas," started popping up more and more. I even found myself making excuses for the Arkansas staff that I had confidence in but that was clearly lagging behind their peers mid-way through the summer.

Now, mid-way through the 2018 season, the staff has filled their 2019 class to what most thought would be the class's max capacity when the cycle started and they're not done yet. They've got 10 4-star commits, which is the most in the Rivals era, and the class is ranked no. 12 in the nation, 6th in the SEC.

With a little luck and a whole lot of effort, the staff could still close on at least two more 4-star prospects which would lock them into a top 15 class in their first full-cycle recruiting class.

So, in just 10 months, Chad Morris, his assistant coaches and the recruiting staff have completely debunked that you can't recruit top recruiting classes at Arkansas. Here are the excuses we're not allowed to use anymore:

While the idea of playing at Arkansas might not be as immediately enticing as Tuscaloosa or Norman or Clemson, that doesn't mean recruits don't fall in love with it when they see it. Even if Fayetteville isn't their cup of tea, how does immediate playing time, great facilities, great academic support and a great fan base sound? There's a reason the coaching staff insists that recruits come to visit and complete their official visits as well before taking a commitment, it just solidifies their decision that much more.

While this is just a straight up fact, Arkansas is much farther from blue chip recruits than other SEC schools, that doesn't mean you can use it as an excuse. The world is getting smaller and smaller every day and "distance from home" is becoming one of the least important factors in prospects' recruitments. The new Arkansas staff does a great job of connecting with the recruits' families so that they all feel at home and comfortable should they decide to sent their kids to Fayetteville.

False. While Arkansas might not have as many days with high priority recruits on campus, they do a great job of hosting large groups of elite visitors at once. Against Alabama, the Razorbacks hosted at least 60 very talented visitors and will likely have just as big of a day when LSU comes to town.

It's true that Arkansas doesn't have as many elite prospects a year as Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana....etc, this 2019 class proves that you don't necessarily need them and they're already working to make sure that doesn't hurt them in 2020. Arkansas has five in-state recruits committed, Rivals100 TE Hudson Henry, Rivals250 WR Treylon Burks, DE Zach Williams, CB Malik Chavis and DT Marcus Miller, but they didn't need Stacey Wilkins, Jadon Jackson, Kendall Young or anyone else to reach no. 12. If they can keep pulling kids out of Tennessee and Texas like they have been then it shouldn't be a problem, or an excuse, going forward.

Sure, Arkansas will probably never out-recruit Alabama or Georgia or Texas A&M but they're making a mighty fine push for the top five in the SEC and that's with a 1-6 record. Being an SEC school should guarantee you a top 25 class every year and it boggles the mind why it was apparently so difficult to recruit in the past few years for the Razorbacks. Playing in prime time, constantly in front of NFL scouts, it shouldn't matter if the Hogs aren't in the CFP.