Natural State Talent: Mapping out a plan to see Arkansas' top prospects

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**2021 FALL CAMP HQ**

Before Arkansas takes the field against Rice for its first game of 2021, two weeks of Arkansas high school football will be in the books.

The season gets underway Friday with Week 0 action, followed by the traditional opening week of the season on Sept. 3.

There is an unusually large amount of talent in the Natural State this year, with nine Arkansas commitments, five other Power Five pledges and several others heading to Group of Five programs - and that’s just in the Class of 2022.

HawgBeat has poured over the schedules and pieced together what would an ideal slate of games in order to maximize the number of prospects seen. This would obviously be difficult to follow because it sends you all over the state, but it ensures you’ll see each Arkansas commit and several other college prospects.

Arkansas Recruits: Mansfield - 2023 4* S Brenden Jordan (5 P5 offers, including Arkansas); West - 2023 LB Braden Jones

Other Recruits: Mansfield - 2023 CB Brian Hollins (Arkansas State, ULM offers)

The top player in this matchup is actually an out-of-state prospect, as Mansfield is led by the No. 210 overall player in the Class of 2023 in Brenden Jordan. He visited Fayetteville over the summer and HawgBeat has been told he has ties to the state. The other guy to watch in this matchup is Braden Jones. He doesn’t have an offer from the Razorbacks, but he did turn some heads by running the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at a camp this summer.

Arkansas Recruits: Robinson - 2022 4* OL E’Marion Harris (Arkansas commit); Maumelle - 2022 4* DE Nico Davillier (Arkansas commit), 2022 3* OL Andrew Chamblee (Arkansas commit)

Other Recruits: Robinson - 2022 RB Daryl Searcy Jr. (Arkansas State, Memphis, North Texas offers)

This is one of the top games of the season from a prospects standpoint. Joe T. Robinson has produced several future Razorbacks the last few years and this year it has E’Marion Harris, the No. 233 overall player in the Class of 2022. There’s a chance he’ll be tasked with blocking another four-star Arkansas commit in this game, as Maumelle’s defense is led by defensive end Nico Davillier. The Hornets also have Andrew Chamblee, another Arkansas commit, on their offensive line.

Arkansas Recruits: 2022 3* DE JJ Hollingsworth (Arkansas commit)

Other Recruits: none

JJ Hollingsworth became Arkansas’ first commit in the 2022 class when he pulled the trigger last summer.

Arkansas Recruits: Shiloh - 2022 3* LB Kaden Henley (Arkansas commit)

Other Recruits: 2023 QB Eli Wisdom (UCF offer)

It took Kaden Henley only a few hours to commit after receiving an offer from the Razorbacks back in the spring. He helped the Saints win a Class 4A state title last season. One of his teammates, quarterback Eli Wisdom, has an offer from UCF.

Arkansas Recruits: Clarendon - 2022 4* WR Quincey McAdoo (Arkansas commit), 2022 3* TE Dax Courtney (Arkansas commit)

Other Recruits: Fordyce - 2022 2* OL Carson Williams (Air Force commit)

Clarendon already had one of the best players in the state in Quincey McAdoo, who originally committed to Florida State before flipping to Arkansas, but Dax Courtney - another Arkansas commit - moved in from DeWitt this offseason. In this matchup, they’ll square off against Fordyce’s Carson Williams, a two-star offensive lineman and Air Force commit.

Arkansas Recruits: El Dorado - 2023 WR DeAndra Burns (Arkansas offer)

Other Recruits: El Dorado - 2022 WR Jackie Washington (MTSU offer), 2022 CB Mario Ganter (Navy offer)

The main attraction in this game is DeAndra Burns, El Dorado’s speedy wide receiver who was offered by Arkansas during his sophomore season last year. The Wildcats also have a pair of seniors with FBS offers.

Arkansas Recruits: Ashdown - 2023 4* TE Shamar Easter (Arkansas commit); Malvern - 2024 OL Vinny Winters (Arkansas offer)

Other Recruits: Malvern - 2023 QB Cedric Simmons (MTSU offer)

This is a battle of future prospects, as Ashdown tight end Shamar Easter is the top prospect in the state in the 2023 class and Malvern offensive lineman Vinny Winters has a chance to say the same for 2024. Both of them were the first in-state player Arkansas offered in their respective classes. Easter, a top-100 prospect nationally, has already pulled the trigger and committed to the Razorbacks.

Arkansas Recruits: Fayetteville - 2022 3* LB Mani Powell (Arkansas commit); Bentonville - 2023 OL Joey Su’a (5 P5 offers, including Arkansas)

Other Recruits: Fayetteville - 2022 4* WR Isaiah Sategna (Oregon commit), 2022 3* LB Kaiden Turner (Indiana commit); Bentonville - 2022 3* WR Charles Nimrod (Tennessee commit)

Perhaps no game will feature more Power Five talent on the field than the annual 7A West showdown between Bentonville and Fayetteville. Five players in this game have offers from the Razorbacks, but three have committed elsewhere. Fayetteville’s Isaiah Sategna and Kaiden Turner are headed to Oregon and Indiana, respectively, while Bentonville’s Charles Nimrod has pledged to Tennessee.

However, both teams added players over the summer who are still in play for Arkansas. Mani Powell moved to Fayetteville from Ohio and is committed to the Razorbacks, while Joey Su’a moved to Bentonville from California and recently picked up an offer.

Arkansas Recruits: LRCA - 2024 QB Walker White (Tulsa offer)

Other Recruits: PA - 2022 3* RB Joseph Himon (Northwestern commit), 2022 QB Charlie Fiser (ULM, Presbyterian offers)

These two teams have met in the Class 5A state championship game each of the last three seasons. Pulaski Academy - which is now led by former Arkansas wide receiver Anthony Lucas after Kevin Kelley took a college job - always has college talent and does so again with running back and Northwestern commit Joseph Himon, with quarterback Charlie Fiser also having an FBS offer.

The player to watch for Arkansas fans, though, is Little Rock Christian quarterback Walker White. Going into his sophomore year, he already has an offer from Tulsa and he’s camped at Arkansas. Plus, White comes from a family of Razorbacks that includes older brothers John David (wide receiver) and Zac (baseball).

Arkansas Recruits: Parkview - 2022 3* RB James Jointer Jr. (Arkansas commit), 2023 RB Darien Bennett (Arkansas offer)

Other Recruits: Parkview - 2022 3* DB Jaylon White (21 offers), 2022 2* OL Kyndall McKenzie (Memphis commit), 2022 3* S Trent Bennett (3 P5 offers), 2022 ATH Parker Perry (Arkansas State offer), 2023 RB Willie Eackles (Memphis offer); Siloam - 2022 OL Jace Sutulovich (Air Force, New Mexico offers)

If there’s a team that can challenge Fayetteville for the most talent on one roster, it’s Little Rock Parkview. James Jointer Jr. has already committed to Arkansas, while Darien Bennett - who moved in from Jacksonville - has an offer as a 2023 prospect. Jaylon White also has an offer from the Razorbacks for the 2022 class, but they have moved on and he’ll likely end up at another Power Five program.

The Patriots have a Memphis commit in offensive lineman Kyndall McKenzie, a safety with offers from Boston College, Colorado and Michigan State in Trent Bennett and a couple of other players with Group of Five offers, as well. As a bonus, Siloam Springs offensive lineman Jace Sutulovich has a pair of FBS offers.

Arkansas Recruits: Lakeside - 2024 RB Braylen Russell (Arkansas offer)

Other Recruits: Lakeside - 2022 WR Pierce Smalley (Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech offers)

This crosstown rivalry will be highlighted by Lakeside’s sophomore running back, Braylen Russell, who became just the second in-state 2024 prospect to earn an offer from Arkansas this summer. The Rams also have a senior wide receiver - Pierce Smalley - with FBS offers.