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Recruiting Roundup: Kaleb James commits, Junior Day No. 2 is here and more

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Each Friday, HawgBeat's Alex Trader will write a recruiting notebook filled with tidbits on Arkansas commits and top targets, as well as the Razorbacks' latest offers.


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The Roundup

Junior Days Update

Last weekend was a major one for Arkansas recruiting. The first of three Junior Days proved mightily successful for the Razorbacks dispute less-than-favorable weather.

Among those who trekked through the wintery weather Saturday were four-star defensive end Ashton Porter, four-star wideout Cole Adamas, four-star offensive tackle Connor Stroh and 2024 prospects Walker White (QB) and Parker Livingstone (WR).

One theme which ran rampant throughout the group was that the staff, and campus were strong selling points. Check out HawgBeat's Football Recruiting Notebook from Arkansas' Jan. 15 Junior Day for tidbits about all those prospects and more.

Also in town were highly-touted 2023 prospects Luke Hasz and Kaleb James. James, who would go on to commit later in the week, appeared to take advantage of another visit opportunity with his future coaches ahead of his commitment date. Hasz, on the other hand, would prove a special addition for Dowell Loggains' tight end room.

With ties to the university and an apparent affinity for the coaching staff and surrounding area, it looks like things may be heating up between Arkansas and the former Oklahoma commit.

For HawgBeat's up-to-date list of this weekend's Junior Day visitors, check out our thread over at The Trough.

Where in the World is Kendal Briles?

It was a whirlwind of a week for Kendal Briles, and after reports that Miami and new coach Mario Cristobal offered the 39-year-old the offensive coordinator position news broke that he'd be returning to Arkansas for a third season under a restructured deal.

Throughout the chaos, Briles made sure to document his travels, with a little help from a former Razorback position coach.

A Massive Offer

Sam Pittman and Cody Kennedy finally pulled the trigger on four-star Frisco-Wakeland (Texas) offensive lineman Connor Stroh Thursday.

Stroh, standing at 6-foot-7, 355-pounds, is rated as Rivals' No. 235 overall player in the 2023 class. With offers already from Baylor, Florida State, Indiana, Texas and SMU, Arkansas comes in a bit behind the pack in terms of sending out the offer.

Despite the delay, Stroh has now been on campus twice, including last week's Junior Day, and had plenty of good things to say about the Razorback program.

As well as his thoughts on the staff, Stroh told HawgBeat that Arkansas was high on his list even before securing an offer, and the word love was thrown around enough for fans to be optimistic about the Razorbacks' standing in his recruitment.

Pair of '22 O-Linemen Flash Potential in Senior Film

Continuing our series of 2022 signee film breakdowns, we took a look this week at two in-state tackle enrollees.

Andrew Chamblee and E'Marion Harris were two of the higher-rated players in Arkansas, and their senior film flashed potential for early contribution as they move through their freshman year.

#Committed

Arkansas keeps the iron hot with yet another commitment in the 2023 class, this time bringing in 5.7-three-star defensive end Kaleb James.

James, who recently transferred to Mansfield (Texas), became the sixth commit for the Razorbacks in their '23 group.

He had been a point of emphasis for the Hogs dating back months, and his Jan. 18 commitment sealed the deal for Sam Pittman and the staff. As well as the most recent Junior Day, James had been in town a number of times throughout the fall, making this announcement somewhat of a foregone conclusion.

For HawgBeat's full coverage of James' commitment check out BREAKING: Hogs land talented 2023 DE from Texas - 2023 DE Kaleb James commits to Arkansas - Film Breakdown: What Arkansas is getting in 2023 DE commit Kaleb James

The Rundown

This week was the first installment of a new series here at HawgBeat which will see me giving a mid-week recruiting rundown for Arkansas football.

With so much news flying around the Razorbacks on the trail, The Rundown goes in-depth into some of the hottest topics around. This week's edition broke down the Kaleb James commitment, Arkansas' chances with Luke Hasz, the first week of Junior Days and the release of my 2023 Arkansas Football Wide Reciever Big Board.

**JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH ARKANSAS FANS ON THE TOUGH, HAWGBEAT'S PREMIUM MESSAGE BOARD**


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