Keeping in-state recruits home is a priority for Pittman, Arkansas
The class of 2023 is now officially finished with the signing of four-star tight end and Ashdown native Shamar Easter. Arkansas finished the year ranked No. 21 in the nation according to Rivals, its highest-ranked class since 2019, when the Hogs finished No. 20.
Of those recruits, three came from the state of Arkansas: defensive end Quincy Rhodes of North Little Rock, offensive lineman Joey Su’a of Bentonville and the aforementioned Easter of Ashdown.
Head coach Sam Pittman talked Wednesday on the importance of keeping in-state recruits home.
“Our number one goal each year is to keep everyone that we've offered in the state,” Pittman said. “We've done that pretty well. I think we lost one maybe a year ago or two years ago, but our high school coaches in the state are tremendous to us.”
Three high school recruits is not close to the most in-state recruits in one class, though. In the class of 2022, the Razorbacks signed 10 total players from the Natural State. But Pittman said having guys who grew up in Arkansas provides an extra spark at the end of games.
“I just feel like when the fourth quarter comes, I think it means a lot to everybody,” Pittman said. “Maybe a little bit more to a guy that's maybe been born and raised a Hog fan.”
On top of the high school prospects, Arkansas also got a few of its own to come home in quarterback Jacolby Criswell, who left the state to play at North Carolina before transferring back to Arkansas in December, and Marlon Crockett, a wide receiver from Searcy who went to Memphis before transferring to Arkansas as a preferred walk-on in January.
In Easter’s case, Pittman said it was likely his love for Arkansas that kept him home. After the Hogs lost tight ends coach Dowell Loggains to South Carolina, Easter pushed back his signing from the Early Signing Period in December to National Signing Day on Wednesday.
“I think Shamar wanted to come to Arkansas,” Pittman said. “You’d have to ask him, I think he wanted to come to Arkansas for a long, long time. Any time there’s change, sometimes there becomes panic in it. Obviously recruiters will tell you, ‘You need to go visit here, you need to visit there.’ If you trust those people, then you do. But certainly Arkansas and Coach Turner… Coach Turner’s got a way about him.”
In addition to the three scholarship players in this year’s cycle, there was a plethora of in-state recruits who are joining Arkansas as preferred walk-ons. Arkansas is well-known for getting the most out of walk-on recruits, boasting names like the late Brandon Burlsworth and linebackers Grant Morgan and Hayden Henry. (Henry was listed as a blue-shirt player, which meant he walked on to start his career and was then put on scholarship the following semester.)
Among the state’s walk-on class are Arkadelphia’s Donovan Whitten, who played both quarterback and linebacker in high school, as well as Fayetteville’s Kaylon Morris, who was named to the 7A All-State team.
Maddox Lassiter of Warren — the same high school that produced now-NFL wide receiver Treylon Burks — will be making his way to the Hill as well. He played on both sides of the ball, but will play tight end for the Hogs.
JaBrae Shaw from Mills High School will line up in Arkansas’ secondary as a preferred walk-on. Shaw had 81 tackles, 11 interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — nine pass breakups and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns in 2022.
While Arkansas doesn’t always put out as many highly-rated players as other states, Pittman knows how important it is to bring on guys who want to be Razorbacks in the coming recruiting cycles.
“We certainly have a lot in next year's class that we're looking at,” Pittman said. “It seems to be a pretty good class in the state. It means everything to us. There's a lot of people that help us. That's parents, that's public, that's coaches."