NASHVILLE, Ten. – As Chad Morris and his staff gear up for their first season this fall at Arkansas, one of the areas he’ll be looking to solidify as soon as possible is the middle of his defense, and 4-Star prospect Jackson Hannah could end up factoring heavily into those plans.

Hannah said that he was last on campus a few months ago for a visit with Morris and defensive coordinator John Chavis, and that he left with the feeling that he was one of their priority recruits in 2019. He must have liked what he heard, because he’s been planning a return visit to Fayetteville with his parents to move things further.

“I got to sit down with Coach Morris and Coach Chavis and they were just telling me how much they want me,” he said. “They told me how much of a difference-maker I could be if I go there, so we’re trying to figure out a date to go back but we want to get the whole family up there next time.”

While at Texas A&M, Chavis had creatively targeted the players he recruited at linebacker for the Aggies. Though Hannah fits the mold of a traditional inside backer, he brings a skill set that could translate elsewhere in the front-seven to give the Razorbacks some options with what they’ll do defensively.

“[Chavis] wants me as a middle linebacker out there and possibly even a rush-end,” he said. “He likes my hands, how quick I am off of the line, so we’ll see where he wants me, but I think that he likes me most at the middle linebacker position right now.”

The possibilities for different roles within the defense have given Arkansas an added element to its recruitment of Hannah. He stopped short of admitting that the Razorbacks were a shoo-in to be included in his Top 3, but did say that the chances were better than 50/50 at this point.

“Right now, we’ve kind of figured out a Top 5, but we’re still trying to narrow it down still,” he said. “But I have a pretty good idea about a Top 3, but we’re just waiting to release it to the public.”

Another team that Hannah has taken an increased interest in as he further narrows down his recruitment is Cal. He already has the Berkeley earmarked as another official visit destination he'd like to add. While he seems confident about having picked several of the teams in his final group, he’s more cautious about naming an outright leader, even though he wants to have a commitment made before the fall.

“I'm really shooting for before the season,” he said. “As it is right now, I’m still looking around, trying to feel what’s right and not looking to make any rash decisions. Once I commit, I’m not going to be de-committing and all that. I want to be in it for the long haul.”