Marcus Woodson providing boost to Arkansas recruiting
Under head coach Sam Pittman, Arkansas is recruiting at a better clip than previous regimes, and with the new coaching staff he has assembled, it shows little signs of slowing down.
When Pittman took over the program in Dec. 2019, he inherited a recruiting class ranked near the bottom of college football and made quick work of building his class, shooting up the rankings to finish 41st in the nation according to Rivals.
Since then, the lowest Arkansas has ranked is No. 26, and in the 2024 class the Hogs are currently No. 18. Much of that ranking, which includes four four-stars and one three-star so far, is thanks to new co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson.
Coming to Arkansas after Barry Odom left the program to become the head coach at UNLV, Woodson joined Travis Williams on the defensive coaching staff as Arkansas’ co-defensive coordinator. Since his arrival, recruits have raved about the addition of the former Florida State defensive backs coach.
Caleb Chester, a three-star defensive back in the class of 2025 who just visited Fayetteville, had great things to say of Woodson’s coaching.
"I think it's just the way he coaches," Chester told HawgBeat. "He's just a really good coach. To him, it's more than just football. It's about life and how he makes you as a man. He's just a real good coach. I really like him and I've got a good relationship with him.”
Not just in coaching, but in talking everyday life, Woodson has a way of connecting to recruits on a personal level.
"At first we were just talking about football, just giving me the rundown," Chester said. "I always like to know where I'm at on the coach's board. He was just telling me I'm right at the top of it, I could commit right now today if I want to, he really likes me, I could start the 2025 class off with a bang. From that point on, we were just always talking about life and stuff like that.”
One thing Woodson has done that most have not done in recent years is dip into the state of Mississippi for recruits. A native of Moss Point, Mississippi, and alumnus of Ole Miss, he’s brought in two four-star recruits from the Magnolia state in the last month in Noreel White and Julius “JuJu” Pope.
White told Rivals’ Cole Patterson Woodson feels like family.
"He's kind of like my uncle," White said. "He grew up with my dad. He’s from the same place that I'm from, so we clicked instantly.”
Another recruit, four-star defensive back Braylon Conley — who included the Hogs in his Top 10 recently — said Woodson and Williams have fit in well at Arkansas.
"Those two are really great guys," Conley said. "We gel well together. The are authentic and care about the person as well as the player. They are deep into the Razorback brand already and hit the ground running.”
Woodson will have the chance to show the Razorback fanbase his coaching abilities on Saturday during the Red-White spring game. The scrimmage will kick off at noon and will air on ESPN+ and the SEC Network+.