Making the Case: Arkansas's 2019 Recruiter of the Year

The Arkansas Razorbacks' 2019 recruiting class is already historic on multiple levels, from the four 4-stars on the defensive line to the three 4-star wide receivers to the no. 12 class ranking, Chad Morris and his staff are recruiting like no one has seen in this state before. Not only are Morris's assistants killing it, they also have their commits recruiting as well, a testament to how well they're getting kids to buy in already. Each commit gets recruited by their position coach but they might also have a different lead recruiter based on where they're from.

As the class fills up and we approach early National Signing Day in December, it's time to take a closer look at who we might name Recruiter of the Year:

It seems like wide receiver's coach Justin Stepp can build a meaningful relationship with just about any recruit and it probably stems from his ability to genuinely care about the kids he talks to. Any time I've asked a recruit what they like about him, it's all about how he goes so much deeper than just football and it's clearly resonated. I don't believe this class would be what it is today without Stepp flipping 4-star WR Shamar Nash from Missouri this summer and Trey Knox is Arkansas's top-rated recruit since McTelvin Agim in 2016. He was also able to build a close relationship with Treylon Burks who is by most accounts a kid with a pretty small circle.

Despite only really having room for four wide receiver in this class, Stepp was able to keep some of the best wide receivers in the nation interested in Arkansas despite the fact that they haven't had a 1,000-yard wide receiver at this school since Cobi Hamilton in 2012. While it's Morris's family-style recruiting philosophy that's winning these prospects over, Stepp probably embodies the philosophy best.

It might be hard for anyone to top Barry Lunney's recruiting efforts with this 2019 class. It may not go the same way in 2020 with a much smaller in-state crop of talent, but he's worked his tail off locking down some of Arkansas's biggest and best recruits. Obviously he was the lead recruiter on 4-star tight end Hudson Henry, the no. 1 tight end in the nation, he set the foundation for Stepp's relationship with Treylon Burks, he recruited Collin Clay out of Oklahoma along with his position coach and got the ball rolling with Malik Chavis's commitment, the first of all Arkansas's 2019 in-state commits. Lunney also played a big roll in locking down Arkansas legacies Mataio Soli out in Georgia and Zach Williams in Little Rock.

Though still not done acquiring athletes for the secondary, Mark Smith has already done a phenomenal job recruiting very talented Texas athletes. Smith stayed on 4-star corner Adonis Otey until he finally securing his commit even though Arkansas's chances seemed bleak, he got an athlete full of potential in Myles Brooks from Pflugerville, Texas, he's been to Mansfield Legacy countless times to recruit the trio out there, two of which are now committed as of last night, with very positive signs coming from the third, 4-star S Jalen Catalon. He helped recruit Zach Zimos out of Houston and he's getting close on 4-star CB Devin Bush from Louisiana who seemed to be an unattainable prospect a couple months ago. His "fight until Signing Day" attitude is going to continue getting Arkansas big-time recruits.

Recruiting Texas, and East Texas specifically, was going to be crucial to making this a great class and there aren't many college coaches who hold weight in that part of the state like Jeff Traylor. Traylor is responsible for getting the commitments of OL Beaux Limmer, who plays for Traylor's brother in Tyler, Texas, Carl Williams out in Lufkin, Texas and T.Q. Jackson in Jefferson, Texas. And though Joe Craddock is responsible for the state of Alabama, A'Montae Spivey of course committed to play for Traylor in the end and he's been solid despite continued interest from other programs.

Without John Chavis's influence and reputation in Tennessee, it's very hard to imagine Arkansas would've been able to lock down Adonis Otey, who Arkansas nabbed from Auburn's clutches, Trey Knox, who had his pick of the litter including Florida and Tennessee, or Eric Gregory, who flipped to Arkansas from Memphis. Because of Chavis's influence there, Arkansas will be recruiting strong in that state for years to come. Not to mention, without a big name guy like Chavis as your defensive coordinator, I find it hard to believe Arkansas would've been able to convince so many highly-recruited defensive linemen in this 2019 class to come to Fayetteville. They believe in his ability to take them to the promised land, a.k.a. the NFL. Chavis also played a roll in securing Zach Zimos after his flip from Cal.