Each Friday, HawgBeat's Alex Trader will write a recruiting notebook filled with tidbits on Arkansas commits and top targets, including the best games, performances and where each are playing that particular week.
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The Roundup
Hoops commits dominate the King Cotton Classic
Eric Musselman took over the internet when the No. 16-overall prospect in the 2022 class announced his commitment to stay in-state and play for the Razorbacks.
Nick Smith Jr.'s controversial path to suiting up for North Little Rock nearly stopped the 6-foot-5 guard from playing out his senior season, but the Charging Wildcats are certainly glad the AAA reevaluated his petition.
The Arkansas commit has been having himself a season, most recently being named MVP of the King Cotton Classic this week. The honor came on the back of 28 points, 6.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, and a division championship for North Little Rock.
Smith was also able to catch a glimpse of future-teammate Derrian Ford at the Classic. Ford posted 29 points and 14 rebounds en route to a 67-58 win over Little Rock Parkview for the "Creed" division championship.
Razorback legacy includes Hogs in top five
Arkansas continued its work in the 2023 class with a spot in Tyler Gant's top five, joining Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
The Razorbacks have an interesting leg-up in Gant's recruitment as his cousin, Steve Atwater, had a four-year career in Fayetteville before moving into his 11-year Hall-of-Fame NFL career.
As well as the relation to Atwater, the St. Louis (Mo.) prospect has visited campus three times since this summer. He told CatsIllustrated's Justin Rowland what landed the Hogs a spot in his final schools.
"I visited Arkansas a couple of times over the summer and that's another traditionally defensive team. I loved working with Coach Ash (Jermial Ashley). I worked with him over the summer at a camp and I feel like they're really interested in me."
A top running back prospect to look out for
Arkansas' use of its entire running back game put the nation on notice in 2021, and it may be opening doors for the staff's recruitment of top-level running backs in the '23 cycle.
With Braylen Russell already locked into the 2024 class, Sam Pittman and Jimmy Smith look to be aiming high at the position less than a year away from signing day.
One name that the Razorbacks are red-hot on is Edgewater (Fla.) four-star Cedric Baxter. Previously committed to Florida State, Baxter included Arkansas in his top 12 back in November.
Despite some strong national competition from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami (FL), Ohio State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, Arkansas should feel okay about where they stand with the 6-foot-2, 215-pound back.
“It was great. I got to talk to the coaches and staff, they made it feel like home," Baxter said. "They made sure me and my family were okay. It was a really good atmosphere to be in.
“I love the way they ran their offense. I like how they ran the ball and passed to the running back. They got their running backs out in space; I really liked that.”
Baxter will be announcing his trimmed-down top seven tomorrow as a way to kick off the New Year.
Rated as a 5.7 three-star by Rivals, Young adds to what is shaping up as a strong '23 group for Arkansas. Joining Shamar Easter, Jaden Hamm, Joey Su'a and Anthony Evans III, Young becomes the first defensive player in the nation's fifth-ranked group.
