Arkansas went 2 for 3 on transfer targets Sunday, which is pretty good, but the one miss was surprising.
Many felt defensive tackle Jaxon Player from Tulsa was leaning toward reuniting with former position coach Jermial Ashley and finishing his career with the Razorbacks. Instead, he chose to stay close to home and commit to Baylor, which is in his hometown of Waco, Texas.
While it has been able to address needs at wide receiver, defensive end, cornerback and linebacker through the portal so far, Arkansas is seemingly still searching for help at defensive tackle.
Here are a few options head coach Sam Pittman, defensive coordinator Barry Odom and Ashley could pursue that are still available…
No. 1 Target
Mekhi Wingo - Missouri
(UPDATE: Wingo committed to LSU on Tuesday.)
There is no doubt that Wingo is at the top of Arkansas’ wish list now. In his first season at Missouri, all the former 5.7 three-star prospect did was earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. That honor came after he made 27 tackles, including two for loss and one sack - and notched a 40-yard pick-six as a true freshman, earning him a 73.1 grade from Pro Football Focus.
He is not related to Ronnie Wingo Jr., the former Arkansas running back, but Wingo was recruited by the Razorbacks out of high school. His other three finalists - LSU, Oklahoma and USC - did not. However, the Tigers are considered the favorite because his high school coach was recently hired to be a defensive assistant at LSU.
On top of that, it appears Wingo will take a visit to those other three schools, but not Fayetteville, according to TrojanSports.com, the USC Rivals site. One things working in the Razorbacks’ favor, though, is that the 6-foot-1, 275-pound tackle is looking for a place he can play immediately and they certainly check that box.
