Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman is making a statement with his first full-cycle recruiting class: In-state players will be a priority. That statement was made stronger Thursday with the offer and subsequent commitment of Little Rock Parkview quarterback Landon Rogers.
"It's an amazing day," Rogers said. "It's a beautiful program to be a part of and I already have a great relationship with the coaches, especially Coach Pittman. Love the guy. I got on the phone and he was immediately smiling, I already knew it was gonna be a good day."
Rogers earned his first Division I offer from Kansas in December and since then, he's picked up offers from Houston, Coastal Carolina, ULM, Louisiana-Lafayette, North Texas and a handful of FCS teams - UAPB, UT-Martin and Murray State.
The 3-star pro-style quarterback is the No.4 ranked player in the state and he put up 1,661 yards and 19 touchdowns with just two interceptions in his junior season. He went 99 for 182, a 54.3% completion rate. He's not listed as a dual-threat but he certainly can use his legs. Rogers also added 584 yards on 93 rushes with 10 touchdowns.
At 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Rogers is physically impressive and he put that on display on Twitter where he power cleaned 275 pounds.
Rogers joins Wynne offensive lineman Terry Wells and Jonesboro linebacker Marco Avant in the three-man 2021 class for the Hogs. Rogers is the fifth in-state prospect to earn an offer from the Razorbacks and the third to commit. Arkansas is still recruiting Northside athlete Dreyden Norwood and Rogers' teammate, tight end Erin Outley very hard.
Arkansas has also offered another one of Rogers' teammates, Parkview running back James Jointer, a 2022 prospect.
Arkansas needs just one more in-state commit to match the 2020 class, which had an all-time low for in-state signees. Assuming he sticks, Jackson will be Arkansas' first signee from Little Rock Parkview since 2004. That season, wide receiver Jamaal Anderson and tight end Marc Winston inked with the Razorbacks. Anderson eventually converted to defensive end and became a first-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
In the 16 years since then, the Patriots produced only four FBS signees: defensive back Erick Stone (2006, Arkansas State), linebacker Michael Johnson (2011, ULM), defensive tackle Markell Utsey (2016, Missouri) and defensive tackle Kenyon Jackson (2016, Illinois). However, it's worth mentioning that current Arkansas receiver Koilan Jackson - a Class of 2017 signee - played at Parkview before transferring to Joe T. Robinson for his senior year.
Arkansas's quarterback situation may set the Hogs up to take more than one quarterback in the 2021 class. The Hogs have now offered 12 quarterbacks, with one commit and three other prospects still showing heavy interest in the Razorbacks.
HawgBeat asked Rogers how big it would be for him to help turn the program around. His response: "Aye, I'm there for it."
2021 QB Room Projection
Feleipe Franks (?)
John Stephen Jones
KJ Jefferson
Malik Hornsby
Landon Rogers
