Recruiting Roundup: Big weekend on the horizon, HS football is back + more
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The Roundup
Updating the Rivals Rankings
In last week's roundup, we took a look at the updated Rivals250 rankings that featured five of the Razorbacks' 23 2023 commits. Since that time, we've seen both positional and state rankings released for the class, as well as the 2024 five-star countdown and a reshuffling of some of the Hoops Hogs top targets in the upcoming Rivals150.
Starting off with the final preseason 2023 football update, Arkansas saw minimal movement beyond Frisco-Lone Star (Texas) DB Jaylon Braxton's inclusion in the Rivals250, but QB Malachi Singleton's rise to four-star-status was also notable, but fell short of the anticipated slot in the 250.
One prospect who is making his middling three-star rating seem absurd through two games of his senior season is Moody (Ala.) wideout Davion Dozier. Dozier has been a matchup nightmare for his Blue Devils, and after hauling in 11 balls for 467 yards and five touchdowns - much of which came in the first halves - he's one prospect that I'd be shocked to see staying still in the next update.
Another player that I, and National Recruiting Analyst Ryan Wright expect to see shifted in the next iteration of the rankings is Pinson Valley (Ala.) S commit TJ Metcalf. Already on the verge of a bump, a strong 2022 season will make it nearly impossible to hold him away from that fourth star.
Find where each of Arkansas' commits landed in the update + my analysis of the shifts here.
As far as basketball goes, the ratings shift indicates that head coach Eric Musselman is in for more of the same, as each of his priority targets stuck within the Rivals150 - with many of which rising.
The update also saw the Hogs' lone commit, Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.) G Layden Blocker jump six spots into the No. 29 slot, inching closer still to five-star status.
Our own Jackson Collier broke down each of these changes in the full story here.
HawgBeat Marquee-Matchup Recap
High school football season is back in full force, and the first two weekends have not disappointed. Heading don't miss a bit of the action with our brand new Preps Preview, a schedule including stream links, start times, locations and more for every Arkansas Razorback football commit + a breakdown of our game of the week.
Kicking off with our newly-minted HawgBeat Marquee-Matchup, Bentonville West hosted Rivals250 Razorback commit Micah Tease and his Booker T. Washington (Okla.) Hornets.
Despite reeling in six catches for 93 yards - including a huge fourth-down redzone grab, Tease was kept largely in check by the budding Wolverine defense, and he was unable to find the endzone in his season opener.
Bentonville West head coach Bryan Pratt is hoping to utilize the 28-7 win to jumpstart his Wolverines' '22 season, and potentially even get some of his players on Arkansas' radar.
"I think it gives us some confidence," Pratt said. "They have some really good players and we were able to match up with them and make plays."
On the other side of things, Tease gave a six-minute interview following the game to discuss everything from his commitment to the Razorbacks, thoughts on what Arkansas is building with its 2023 class, his expectations for the rest of his senior season and more, and you can find that entire video below.
Hogs Are in a Good Spot with the Nation's No. 32 player
It's been long said that the Razorbacks wouldn't be able to break through into contention for the SEC West crown until they began to win big-time recruiting battles, and Sam Pittman's staff seems to be well on its way to that milestone with Rivals100 LB Payton Pierce.
Pierce, rated No. 32 nationally by Rivals, told HawgBeat last that he's begun formulating top ten in his head following a laundry list of summer visits. With scholarship opportunities from the likes of Baylor, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech and more, he currently holds Arkansas "easily" in his top five.
Read our full story here for more on what's stood out to him about the Razorbacks and a connection to All-SEC LB Bumper Pool.
Early Look at Arkansas’ RB Targets in 2024
With the 2023 offensive and defensive HawgBoards nearly wrapped up, it's about time to begin scouting Arkansas' early 2024 prospects - and where better to begin than the running back position.
With looks at the latest news on each of the Razorbacks' 14 uncommitted-RB offers in the '24 class, a table detailing their name, Rivals profile, height/weight, interest level, trend, star rating and hometown, as well as my thoughts on each prospect's standing with Arkansas, this is the only early look at the position that you'll need.
Find the whole 2024 Arkansas football recruiting HawgBoard - Running Backs