Hogs head north, establish recruiting ground in Missouri
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Despite being located directly to the north, Missouri has never been a particularly fertile recruiting ground for Arkansas.
In the decade before landing the commitment of nickel back Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan from Lincoln College Prep in Kansas City on Sunday, the Razorbacks had signed just seven players from the Show Me State.
The most recent of those seven was actually one of the final additions to Arkansas’ 2020 class, as four-star offensive lineman Jalen St. John from Trinity Catholic in St. Louis announced his decision on National Signing Day.
Two players from Missouri - so far - being in Sam Pittman’s first two classes as head coach, and both coming before he’s ever coached a game, could indicate a trend for the Razorbacks.
It makes sense, though, considering the coaches on his staff. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom was previously the head coach at Missouri - the same school where he was an assistant for many years and where he was a team captain as a player.
Odom isn’t the only one with ties to the state. Arkansas offensive line coach Brad Davis had the same position at Missouri for two years and cornerbacks coach Sam Carter spent the last three years as a defensive quality control coach and analyst for the Tigers. Those two assistants were key to landing St. John and Hamilton-Jordan, respectively, as was Odom.
The Razorbacks are hopeful they aren’t done in Missouri for the Class of 2021. They have offered six more players from the Show Me State, but half of them have already committed to the Tigers.
The other three have connections to Arkansas through the two players already on board. Defensive end Tobechi Okoli plays with Hamilton-Jordan at Lincoln College Prep, while defensive back Tyler Hibbler and wide receiver Demetrius Cannon were teammates with St. John at Trinity Catholic.
Here’s a look back at the players from Missouri who signed with the Razorbacks over the past decade…
2020 - OL Jalen St. John - St. Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic
With his aforementioned National Signing Day announcement, St. John immediately became one of the highlights in Pittman’s first class. He was one of two four-star recruits in the group, making him Arkansas’ first four-star offensive lineman since Pittman left for Georgia four years ago. Previously committed to Odom and Davis at Missouri, he turned down offers from Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Tennessee and several other Power Five programs to play for the Razorbacks.
2017 - OL Shane Clenin - Festus (Mo.) Jefferson
One of four offensive linemen in Arkansas’ 2017 class, Clenin was a 5.6 three-star whose only other Power Five offers were from Iowa State and Northwestern. He was the first Division I signee ever to come out of the small school in eastern Missouri. Despite being an early enrollee, he redshirted his first year and has started one game in each of the last two seasons. With two years of eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-6, 314-pound Clenin figures to be in the two-deep this year - it’s just a matter of where, as his two starts have been at tackle and guard, plus he’s worked some at center.
2016 - FB Hayden Johnson - Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge
A Swiss Army knife of sorts at Rock Bridge, Johnson played all over the field and was even recruited by some schools as a defensive end. However, former head coach Bret Bielema envisioned him as a fullback in his pro-style offense. That’s what he played for a couple of years before moving too tight end under Chad Morris. Johnson’s role the last four years - regardless of his position - was primarily as a blocker, but he did catch seven passes for 74 yards during his career.
2014 - OL Brian Wallace / DT Armon Watts - St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers
Six years ago, the Razorbacks went into St. Louis and landed a pair of teammates from Christian Brothers College High School. Wallace was the headliner, as he was a 5.9 four-star recruit, No. 96 in the Rivals250 and offered by several high-profile programs, like Alabama and Ohio State. Although he never quite lived up to that hype, Wallace did start 29 games over his final three seasons.
Many viewed Watts as kind of a throw-in recruit with Wallace. He was a 5.6 three-star recruit who wasn’t nearly as heavily recruited as his high school teammate. For the longest time, it seemed like that would hold true, as he didn’t play much his first four years in Fayetteville. As a fifth-year senior, though, Watts exploded for 49 tackles - including seven sacks - and three forced fumbles. He did enough to actually become a sixth-round pick by the Vikings in the 2019 NFL Draft.
2014 - QB Rafe Peavey - Bolivar (Mo.)
In that same class, the Razorbacks added another Rivals250 prospect in Peavey, who was the No. 250 overall recruit and No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the country for 2014. He redshirted his first year at Arkansas and was buried on the depth chart as a redshirt freshman, so he opted to transfer before ever appearing in a game. Peavey ended up at SMU, where he appeared in three games, and then finished his career as a graduate transfer at Florida Atlantic, where he made one start.
2011 - RB Kody Walker - Jefferson City (Mo.)
A 5.7 three-star recruit out of the traditional Missouri powerhouse, Walker was snakebitten early in his career. He received two medical hardships after injuries cut his first two seasons short. Before he got hurt as a true freshman, Walker was the Razorbacks’ short-yardage back and had five touchdowns on 20 carries - with four of the scores being from 1 yard out and the fifth being a 3-yarder. He eventually started some games at fullback and ended his career with 753 yards and 14 touchdowns on 181 carries.