Recruiting Roundup: Hoops commits make splash en-route to Razorback careers
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The Roundup
Hoops Signees Win Rings
A pair of future Razorbacks — and a potential third — ended their high school careers on a high note by winning their respective state titles and taking home MVP honors.
Five-star point guard Nick Smith dropped 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to help North Little Rock to a 65-47 win over Bentonville in the Arkansas Class 6A state championship.
Already a McDonald’s All-American and chosen for the Iverson Classic, Smith — and fellow five-star signee Jordan Walsh — was also selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic this week. The all-star game is scheduled for April 15 in Chicago.
Four-star shooting guard Derrian Ford scored 29 points on 11 of 22 shooting and notched 5 rebounds and 2 steals in Magnolia’s close 59-56 win over Blytheville to win the Class 4A state championship. That win capped a perfect 30-0 season for Ford and the Panthers.
It’s also worth noting that Anthony Black, one of the top uncommitted prospects remaining in the 2022 class, helped Duncanville beat McKinney 69-49 in the Class 6A state championship in Texas. He had 17 points and was 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Arkansas is thought to be a finalist in his recruitment.
Gatorade Honors
In addition to winning the aforementioned state title, Ford was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas for a second straight year this week.
Before his 29-point outburst in the championship, the Magnolia product was averaging 23.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals.
He’s the first player to win the award in back-to-back seasons since North Little Rock’s Kevaughn Allen in 2014 and 2015. Other two-time winners in the state include Russellville’s Corliss Williamson (1991-92), West Memphis’ Darrian Brown (1997-98), Fayetteville’ Fred Gulley (2008-09) and Sylvan Hills’ Archie Goodwin (2011-12).
Fellow Arkansas signee Barry Dunning Jr., a Rivals150 small forward, also took home Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his home state of Alabama. Like Ford, he has now won the award twice.
Dunning averaged 25.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.6 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 43.7 percent from 3-point range, helping McGill-Toolen to the Alabama Class 6A semifinals. He had 25 points and 18 rebounds in the season-ending loss.
Arkansas Wows Four-Star DT on Visit
Though it is March, football has some momentum to kick in with the madness.
Among that was four-star defensive tackle Kayden McDonald out of North Gwinnett (Ga.), who made his first trip to the Hill last weekend for an unofficial visit.
“This is the first time being in Fayetteville and the whole town, when I went to the restaurant, everybody showed love,” McDonald said. “It was crazy. I had a great time. It was unbelievable. They were saying, ‘Commit, commit.’ It was a great feeling.”
McDonald is rated No. 166 in the latest Rivals250, and holds more than 25 FBS offers. Sam Pittman, however, may have a couple of points in his favor when it comes to landing the 6-foot-4, 320-pound interior defensive lineman.
For more on those advantages, and a full recap of McDonald's visit, check out Hutch's story from earlier this week.
Pipeline with Texas Powerhouse in the Works?
McDonald wasn't the only nationally-ranked player on campus last weekend, as we saw a pair of top defensive prospects from Duncanville (Texas) on the Hill as well.
Ka'Davion Dotson, the No. 86 player in the '24 class, was back in town for a second-consecutive weekend, this time bringing teammate Deldrick Madison along for the ride.
"It was good," Dotson said. "You know, it was my second week down in a row, so of course, it was good.
"I love the environment, love that it always feels like family. Talking to coach Pittman, just sitting down and talking to him, he reminds me a lot of my head coach from my high school right now, coach (Reginald) Samples. They've got a lot of similarities so I really love it down here."
Dotson was in town last weekend with teammate and No. 1-overall player in the class Colin Simmons, making it worthwhile to inquire about a potential Duncanville-to-Fayetteville pipeline.
Check out this story for Dotson's thoughts on that, plus more from the trio of Rivals250 Duncanville prospects.
Razorbacks Make Solid Impression on Alabama's Top Talent
The staff isn't stopping with one of Texas' premier football programs, and a number of visitors from the Yellowhammer state had their eyes opened to what Sam Pittman is cooking up in Fayetteville.
It's no secret that Alabama is a football-rich state, and the Arkansas staff hoped to explore that proposition at last weekend's Junior Day with visits from Kavion Henderson, TJ and Tevis Metcalf and Brian Alston.
With four of the state's top players over the next couple of seasons, plus a commitment already secured from Gardendale (Ala.) cornerback Dallas Young, and a strong showing in four-star linebacker Karmelo Overton's top schools announcement earlier this week, the staff seems poised to make some noise in the backyard of SEC West foes Alabama and Auburn.
For HawgBeat's full look at what Arkansas is doing in the state, check out Hutch's story here.
Midweek Visitors
The Razorbacks hosted several big-time prospects each of the last two Saturdays for Prospect Days, but they didn’t limit themselves to the weekend for recruiting.
Not only was four-star tight end commit Luke Hasz (Bixby, Okla.) spotted at a couple of Arkansas’ first few spring practices, but Sam Pittman and his staff also welcomed a few other top players to Fayetteville.
Another Tulsa-area prospect, Micah Tease was among that group. He’s a 5.8 four-star athlete from Booker T. Washington High and the No. 216 overall player in the 2023 class.
Four-star defensive tackle Markis Deal, who’s No. 205 in the 2023 Rivals250, was at practice Sunday and Tuesday, as the Garland, Texas, native stayed with his grandmother who lives in Bella Vista. HawgBeat got a couple of quick comments from him following the visit, which you can read here.
Finally, the biggest — literally — prospect on campus this week was Roderick Kearney, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman. He is a 5.8 four-star recruit who made the trip from Orange Park, Fla.
Diamond Hogs Land JUCO Commit
It may have been a quiet week for the football team in terms of commitments, but Dave Van Horn picked up the slack by landing an infielder from the junior college ranks.
Hunter Grimes is an infielder at McLennan C.C. in Texas, the same program that Van Horn played at before playing at Arkansas and that produced current shortstop Jalen Battles.
Originally from Kerrville, Texas, Grimes began his career as a two-way player at UTSA. He slashed .303/.343/.515 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 66 at bats as a freshman back in 2019.
As a fourth-year sophomore, thanks to the pandemic-related eligibility relief, he is off to a hot start for the Highlanders, slashing .340/.421/.620 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 14 games.