Recruiting Roundup: Another Quiet Signing Day and the Dead Period Kicks Off
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The Roundup
Junior Day Wrap-Up
Though the HawgBeat crew was sidelined Saturday with illness, Arkansas' last Junior Day was out in full force with one of the most intriguing prospect lists to date.
With a number of highly-touted 2023 and 2024 prospects on campus, the staff had quite the opportunity to make an impression on some potentially massive recruits.
As far as the day went, it was significantly less eventful than the previous two, both of which were met with commitments in the '23 class. Despite the lack of a new commit, there were a number of highly-rated prospects who seemingly found a new respect for the Arkansas program.
One such prospect was 5.7-three-star cornerback Jayden Coleman. Coleman, who holds offers from the likes of Mississippi State, North Carolina, Penn State and Pitt, was privy to the Razorbacks' 77-68 victory over West Virginia following the tour of the Arkansas facilities.
That experience was enough for the 5-foot-10, 170-pound defensive back to include the Hogs in his "Top Schools" list according to his Twitter.
For our full coverage of the Razorbacks' last Junior Day of 2022 and what the visitors had to think, check out Arkansas Football Recruiting Notebook: Junior Day (Jan. 29).
Have the Hogs Found a QB1 Target for 2023?
Another major player who was in town Saturday was 5.7-three-star and longtime Razorback target Avery Johnson. Johnson, who calls the signals for Maize (Kan.), had a lot of good things to say following his third trip to Fayetteville.
"Since the first time I came down here, I've loved it," Johnson said. "Just to know a little bit more about Arkansas each time I come down here, I mean, it's a great place.
"I love the coaches, I love the atmosphere. And I mean, even the basketball atmosphere is just great to be around. I've got no problems with this place. I love everything about it."
With the team's decision to pass on a QB in the '22 class looming large, Kendal Briles and Sam Pittman may be turning to Johnson as the perfect guy for the job.
For more from Johnson about his most recent visit and where Arkansas stands in his recruitment, check out Top 2023 QB Target "Loves" Everything About Fayetteville
Another Big Week for Smith
Last week, Arkansas five-star signee Nick Smith Jr. was named a McDonald’s All-American. This week, he was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy as the national player of the year.
On the court, Smith knocked down a game-winner in overtime to lift North Little Rock to a 76-74 win over Little Rock Central. The shot capped an impressive triple-double performance with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals.
Another thing to watch regarding Smith: Rivals will update its basketball recruiting rankings next week and he is one of a handful of players contending for the top spot in the Class of 2022. He is currently at No. 16, but will definitely see a bump in the rankings next week.
Preseason All-Americans
Collegiate Baseball announced its high school preseason All-American teams earlier this week and five Arkansas signees made the cut, including four on the first team.
The group is led by shortstop Jayson Jones, who is considered a top MLB Draft prospect, out of Braswell High in Aubrey, Texas. The only in-state player on the list was two-way standout Cooper Dossett, a right-handed pitcher and center fielder at Springdale Har-Ber.
The other two first-team selections were Reese Robinett, a corner infielder from Kennett, Mo., and Cole Phillips, a right-handed pitcher/outfielder from Boerne, Texas.
Carter Boyd, a right-hander out of Reagan High in Pfafftown, N.C., was the Razorbacks’ lone preseason second-team All-American chosen by the outlet.
They are part of an Arkansas signing class that is No. 5 nationally for 2022, according to Perfect Game.
Another Quiet Signing Day
Rowser Goes FCS
It wasn’t much of a surprise, but four-star safety commit Myles Rowser did not sign with Arkansas on Wednesday. Instead, in what was a little bit of a shock, he ended up inking with Campbell, an FCS program in North Carolina.
Rumors had swirled for several weeks that the Razorbacks wouldn’t take the Michigan product and HawgBeat managed to confirm that was the case before National Signing Day. There is no official reason why, but sources indicated it either had to do with grades or an off-the-field issue.
Losing the No. 150 player in the class had a significant impact on Arkansas’ class ranking. Couple with signings by other programs, it fell all the way to No. 26 nationally and No. 12 in the SEC - ahead of only Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Other names you might recognize who signed with schools Wednesday include Gentry Williams, a four-star cornerback from Tulsa, sticking with Oklahoma and Phaizon Wilson, a one-time wide receiver target, picking Grambling State.
More PWOs
The Razorbacks may not have signed any more scholarship players, but they have continued to fill out the 2022 class with preferred walk-ons. They are now up to 12 total PWOs after landing four more this week.
Less than a week after being offered a preferred walk-on spot, Joe T. Robinson running back Daryl Searcy Jr. pulled the trigger Sunday. He had recently taken an official visit to Missouri State and previously reported offers from Memphis, North Texas and Arkansas State.
The Razorbacks secured their other three other PWOs of the week on Tuesday.
Brooks Edmonson, a state champion offensive lineman from Bryant, flipped his commitment from Princeton for the chance to walk on at Arkansas. He’s the third in-state offensive lineman to commit as a PWO, joining Ozark’s Brock Burns and Hope’s Kai Hamilton.
Despite recent official visits to Air Force and Army, plus offers from Troy and Arkansas State, Jonesboro safety John Paul Pickens decided to follow former high school teammates Jashaud Stewart and Marco Avant to Fayetteville as a walk-on.
The only out-of-state PWO commitment of the week came from Kyle Thompson, a defensive end from Aledo, Texas. He turned down offers from Oregon State, Air Force and Lamar.
In addition to the aforementioned previous offensive linemen, other PWO commits for Arkansas include defensive tackle Randall Dennis Jr. and linebacker Ethan Joseph from Georgia, and kicker Blake Ford and long snapper Briggs Magee from Texas, tight end Hunter Talley from Siloam Springs and linebacker Mason Schueck from Pulaski Academy.
The Dead Period Kicks Off
The dead period kicked into gear Monday, stalling what has been a strong stretch from the Arkansas staff. Spanning the entire month of February, the dead period bars coaches from in-person contact with prospects.
Though that certainly puts a hamper on the likelihood of adding to the third-ranked 2023 class, don't expect the coaches to take any time off. While in-person contact is forbidden and would lead to potential NCAA sanctioning, the staff will be hitting the phones harder than Jordan Belfort trying to sell penny stocks in hopes of keeping relationships alive with recruits.