Most underrated Razorbacks in the Rivals.com era

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There are plenty of of players who were two-star recruits that went on to start for Arkansas, but this is a look at the best of the best underrated recruits from each class. The list includes the best player from each class but includes multiple players if more than one went on to NFL careers or had an All-SEC season.

As an example, the 2005 class only lists Matt Harris. He never made an NFL roster or anything but was the best two-star recruit of 2006. The Class of 2005 lists five players because five two-star recruits made NFL rosters.

After backing up All-American Shawn Andrews, Zac Tubbs started half his junior year at right tackle before a leg injury. He was a starter his senior year. The Associated Press named him a first team All-SEC performer after his last year. He was not selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, but he was signed as a free agent by the Buffalo Bills before being released.

Technically Michael Coe is a former Razorback who made an NFL roster as a defensive back, but it was after he transferred from Arkansas. He still played a notable role while he was at Arkansas over three seasons. He spent four years at Arkansas and transferred his senior year to Alabama State to play under his father, the head coach. He was then drafted in the fifth round (No. 173 overall) by the Indianapolis Colts and spent six years in the NFL with five teams. He was with the New York Giants in 2009 when they won the Super Bowl. Fullback Brandon Kennedy was a notable two-star recruit who was not heavily recruited but was a multi-year starter.

There were seven non-kicker two-star recruits in 2003 for Arkansas. Really only three made an impact. Two were safety Kevin Woods and tight end Mason Templeton. But Roland native Nate Garner was the only one to really shine. He wasn't even viewed as the top offensive lineman in the state out of Arkansas in the Class of 2003 (that distinction belonged to Matt Gilbow). He was not heavily recruited but was a solid starter at Arkansas and ended up taking a seventh round NFL Draft selection (No. 211 overall) in 2008 from the New York Jets and parlaying it into a seven-year career with the Miami Dolphins.

Matteral Richarson, also known as 'Red' Richardson was actually regarded as the lesser half of a package deal that involved more heavily recruited high school teammate D'Nerian Wrighter. Wrighter never played a major role for the Hogs while Richardson was a multi-year starter. He made the Washington Redskins practice squad after going undrafted and was later signed by the Houston Texans. He played a full season with the Cleveland Browns a year later.

Jamaal Anderson was also generally regarded as the lesser end of a package deal that involved more heavily recruited teammate Marc Winston. Winston never played a major role and eventually transferred. Anderson accumulated 17.5 sacks in a three-year career before leaving early and going No. 8 overall to Atlanta in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He didn't live up to his NFL Draft status, but he lived well beyond a two-star ranking.

Jonathan Luigs was regarded as the third-best recruit in 2004...the third-best recruit at Pulaski Academy High School, that is. He went on to an All-American career and won the Rimington Trophy as the country's best center following Arkansas' 7-1 SEC record in 2007. He was a fourth-round selection (No. 106 overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2009 NFL Draft. He only played in eight games for the Bengals as injuries arose and limited him.

Marcus Harrison originally signed with Arkansas in the Class of 2003 but reclassified to 2004 after spending a year at Hargrave Military Academy. The multi-year starter earned second team All-SEC honors in 2007 before being selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He had a four-year NFL career.

Weston Dacus was viewed as a fullback/linebacker out of Searcy when he committed to play for the Razorbacks. He played as a true freshman and was a multi-year starter for his home state team. He went undrafted in 2008 but had a two-year career in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and logged eight tackles for his career. He didn't have a stellar NFL career or anything, but he was a really good player for Arkansas and certainly exceeded his ranking.

Like many on this list, Harris was regarded as the lesser half a of package deal to get a more heavily regarded recruit on board. In this case it was teammate Colin Tucker, who transferred before making an impact at Arkansas. Harris on the other hand played his whole career at Arkansas and started most games his last two seasons.

There are some notable players who went from two-star status to significant careers at Arkansas' Class of 2006, like Ramon Broadway, Matt Hewitt and Adrian Davis. All those players started at Arkansas but didn't have NFL or All-SEC careers like so many in the 2004 class. The most underrated recruit from this class was offensive tackle Ray Dominguez. Dominguez started 38 games at Arkansas. He was undrafted in 2011 but had a three-year NFL career and played with the Orlando Predators last season.

Both kicker Alex Tejada and snapper Rhett Richardson were two-star recruits. Among others, Greg Gatson started at cornerback as a senior, and Patrick Jones was also a one-year starter at defensive tackle. The best two-star of this group was Isaac Madison, who was a three-year starter for the Hogs.

Five of the eight two-star recruits that made it to campus in 2008 were accurately rated. Two of the other three started for a season in safety Elton Ford (true freshman starter before neck injury) and defensive tackle Alfred Davis (started as a senior). But the clear winner in this class is tight end Chris Gragg. Gragg was viewed as the fourth best player from Warren High School in 2008, believe it or not. All four were signed by Arkansas, including Basmine Jones who didn't make it to campus. The three who did were all drafted (Jarius Wright, Gregg Childs and Gragg). Gragg battled injuries at Arkansas but had a couple of good years at Arkansas before being drafted in the seventh round (No. 222 overall) by the Buffalo Bills in 2013. He is entering his fourth season with the Bills.

The only two-star recruit in the Class of 2009 was punter Briton Forester, who transferred after one season with the team. This was the highest ranked class for Arkansas in the Rivals.com era at No. 16 overall.

Safety Alan Turner was a two-year starter for the Hogs and was viewed as the lesser end of a package deal that included four-star defensive tackle Byran Jones. He is definitely a notable name, but there are two who rank higher. The first is wide receiver Javontee Herndon. Herndon was a key player in the 2012 season and was really Arkansas' go-to receiver in Bret Bielema's first season in 2013 with 31 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't drafted but has caught passes with three different NFL teams (24 career receptions) and is currently with the San Diego Chargers, his fourth team.

If Arkansas hadn't lost a longtime kicker commitment in the final days to Texas, they never would have offered Zach Hocker - who was brought in as a punter and only started kicking field goals halfway through camp. He became an All-SEC performer and was drafted in the seventh round, No. 228 overall, by the New Orleans Saints in 2014. He is with his fifth team in Cincinnati and hopes to make the active roster. To be fair, Hocker was a 2-star recruit but the highest any kicker is ever rated is a three-star, and there are only a handful who achieve that status.

There were only two two-star recruits in the Class of 2011, but one of them was junior college fullback Kiero Small. Small was a multi-year starter for the Hogs and one of Bret Bielema's first team leaders in 2013. He played two seasons in the NFL after being drafted in the seventh round, No. 228 overall, by the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.

The only two-star recruit in the Class of 2012 was linebacker Vin Ascolese. Despite his ranking, he was one of the most anticipated recruits in the class as he was a New Jersey recruit who fell in love with Arkansas. He never arrived due to transcript issues and accreditation factors with his high school. It became a running joke as to when he was going to arrive on campus over the years as he was probably the most positively discussed two-star recruit ever at Arkansas. He is now at TCU, which is the second opponent on Arkansas' 2016 football schedule. As much as many Hog fans would like, he doesn't qualify as an overachieving 2-star at Arkansas.

It really is difficult to call this one as the only notable two-star in this class was junior college punter Sam Irwin-Hill. He was a really good punter for the Hogs. He punted from the pocket during his senior season, but as a junior he would often roll out and put with either leg. He was known as the Ambidextrous Australian for this skill. He isn't in the NFL, nor was he All-SEC, but started both years at Arkansas and is one of the better characters at Arkansas in the last few years. On a risky fake punt 1:03 to play before halftime of the 2014 game against Texas A&M, Irwin-Hill ran 51 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-14 for Arkansas going into the locker room.

Receiver Cody Hollister and linebacker Joshua Williams have both started games at Arkansas (Williams was a late addition and was completely unranked), but the winner here is current junior safety Joshua Liddell. Liddell was a late in-state offer who started the last game of his true freshman year before starting 11 of 12 games last season. He is the clear projected starting free safety heading into 2016.

The only two-star recruit in the Class of 2015 was Willie Sykes. Sykes played as a reserve safety last season as a true freshman before moving to cornerback in the spring. He transferred out this summer and is no longer with the team. Still, two-star recruits are not expected to contribute as true freshmen. Due to a lack of candidates, he wins by default.