Five Former Razorback Targets Who Got Away

The recruitment: One of only four in-state five-star recruits in the Rivals era, Michael Dyer was as "can't miss" as they come. He finished his high school career with a state-record 8,097 rushing yards and 84 touchdowns, prompting pretty much every program in the country to pursue him. The No. 11 overall prospect in the Class of 2010 narrowed his choices to Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee before ultimately committing to the Tigers. Making it sting even worse for fans is that not only did he pass up the Razorbacks, but in doing so, he chose to play for then-Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

The career: Though he clearly possessed raw and untapped potential on the football field, (23 carries for 184 vs. Florida St.) he could not do what was necessary of a college athlete to stay on the field. Whether legally or academically, Dyer fell just short of reaching the mandates set forth by NCAA rules for being eligible to play. He bounced around 4 colleges in 4 years before finally going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft. Not only undrafted, Dyer made the Oakland Raiders later that year by attending a camp tryout. He carried 31 times for 70 yards that season before being released. Dyer never played another snap in the NFL. He was signed a year later by a CFL team before subsequently being released shortly after. A lot of talent that just unfortunately never manifested into a consistent threat on the football field, mainly due to his lack of ability to be on the field in big games.

The recruitment: Similar to Dyer, Dorial Green-Beckham - known by many simply as "DGB" - put up incredible numbers in high school. He broke the national career receiving record with 6,353 yards and was the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2012. By most accounts, the decision came down to Arkansas and Missouri. Considering the Razorbacks had won 21 games with Bobby Petrino's high-flying offense over the previous two seasons and the Tigers were about to make the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC, Arkansas seemed to be the favorite. However, in front of a national television audience on ESPNU, DGB picked the home state Tigers.

The career: He didn’t get off to a huge start in his freshman year at Mizzou, recording 28 receptions and 395 yards, but he showed his talent in his sophomore year when he accumulated 59 catches for a total of 883 yards (nearly 15 YPC) with 12 TDs. However, like the young man before, ran into trouble off the football field that led to issues on it. In 2014, was investigated for domestic violence claims and ultimately kicked off the team. He later transferred to OU, where he never played a game. Despite not playing for two years, he was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round. DGB played two seasons in the league, his first for the Titans and then later traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. In total, he gathered modest numbers of 68 catches with 941 yards to spare. He showcased deep play potential at the next level with 10 catches of 20+ in 2016 with the Eagles, but despite this, remains unemployed in the pros.

The recruitment: Two years later, Arkansas fans once again had their hopes for a big-time commitment dashed on ESPNU. With offers from many big-time programs, four-star defensive end and No. 37 overall recruit Solomon Thomas narrowed his choices down to Arkansas, Stanford and UCLA before National Signing Day. Despite a late push by the Razorbacks and his sister being a student at Arkansas, he pulled a tree out from underneath a table and put on taped-up glasses to commit to Stanford.

The career: This one hurts quite a bit still, given how close the Razorbacks were and how impactful he proved to be on the field. His true freshman year was redshirted at Stanford, but his RS freshman year was outstanding. He finished with 39 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and added 3.5 sacks as well. This was enough to earn him an honorable mention on the PAC-12’s All-American squad. He finished their bowl game against Iowa with a sack and four tackles (2 for loss). However, he was only just beginning his collegiate dominance. He followed that very good season with a legendary one in his RS sophomore campaign. Eight sacks and 62 tackles (15 for a loss) were the totals he accumulated along the way to a season that culminated in several All-American honors, the Morris trophy for Best Defensive Player in the Pac-12, and a truly dominant showing in his final bowl game vs. North Carolina (7 tackles, 2 for loss, sack). These great seasons were enough to earn his status as one of the very best draft prospects in all of college football in 2017. He was subsequently taken 3rd overall by the San Francisco 49ers, who view him as an essential piece to a team that was once viewed as a rebuilding franchise, but has now transitioned into a contender in large part due to the acquisition and development of various young players such as Thomas.

The recruitment: The Class of 2015 had a chance to be one of the best in-state hauls in UA history, as the top seven players in the state - including five four-star recruits - were committed to Arkansas at one point. That group was highlighted by K.J. Hill, who starred on the gridiron and hardwood at North Little Rock. Despite committing to the Razorbacks at the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in August before his senior year, he ended up decommitting in January and signing with Ohio State on National Signing Day.

The career: He was a phenom when he was signed, praised by many to be one of the greatest players to come out of the Natural State. However, this talent hasn’t yet come to fruition in regards to producing consistent, game-changing totals at the collegiate level. He has produced respectable totals of 76 catches and 812 yards with four TD’s over 3 years (1 of which being redshirt). He still has the talent, the coaching, the platform, and the surrounding teammates to be an impactful player at the next level, though.

The recruitment: Arkansas did everything within the realm of NCAA rules to try to land Malik Monk, who some experts considered one of the greatest high school basketball players to ever come from the state. Head coach Mike Anderson hired his older brother, Marcus (a former Arkansas football and basketball player himself), as a graduate assistant and tried to sell the idea of being a legend to Malik. However, it wasn't enough to keep him from leaving the state and joining the five-star machine that is Kentucky.

The career: As sweet as it would have been to see him light up the 3-point line in Bud Walton, he chose the most efficient route to the NBA. In a different era, Monk would have likely been the type of player to skip the college portion altogether and just go straight to pros. He put up great numbers in his lone Wildcat season, with totals of 19.8 points per game with a near 40 percent clip from the 3-point line, while also adding the honor of college’s best shooting guard in the NCAA. This collegiate performance was enough to get Monk drafted 11th overall to the Charlotte Hornets. However, the Hornets demoted him to the G-league in his rookie year of 2017. He averaged 6.7 points per game but only shot 34.2 from behind the arc. He will likely need to continue to develop that NBA range 3-pointer if he is to stick around and succeed in the NBA, as his defense is regarded as rather lackluster.