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Recruiting Roundup: Pair of Commitments Launch Arkansas Into Final OV Week

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The Roundup

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Official Visitor Recaps

It was a wild weekend for Arkansas on the trail, bringing in a number of official visitors, as well as a pair of commitments on the defensive side of the ball.

Tight end Luke Hasz, the Razorbacks' highest-rated commit of the Sam Pittman era, was the only recruit pledged to the Hogs coming into Friday afternoon, but he made his presence felt.

A man of few words, Hasz told HawgBeat that his official experience paralleled his previous trips in a lot of ways. One especially important aspect of Luke's being in town, however, was the accompaniment of fellow Oklahoman Cole Adams.

Adams, who has emerged as a key target at the wide receiver position, was unable to be reached for comment off the heels of his visit, but Hasz seemed optimistic about Arkansas' chances when continuing his pitch into this week on Twitter.

The second of "2" that Hasz is referring to in his tweet is none other than Arkansas' newest commit, defensive tackle Ian Geffrard.

Geffrard, who holds offers in the trenches on both sides of the ball, named Arkansas among his top two schools prior to committing later in the week, saying the Razorbacks slightly trailed Auburn as his recruitment ventured into the home stretch.

It didn't take long, though, for him to put aside the matter of distance which he claimed gave the Tigers a slight boost, and he became the second commitment in as many days for the Hogs. More on that commitment later in this roundup.

Sticking on the defensive side of the ball, we saw a trio of defensive back targets impressed by their time on the Hill.

Kicking it off was Michigan State commit Jaylon Braxton, who Rivals lists as a 5.8-four-star and the No. 39 corner in the country. Though he is pledged to the Spartans, the 6-foot, 170-pound prospect out of Frisco Lone Star (Texas) left no doubt that Arkansas would remain in his process.

"Yeah, I'm just keeping my options open,” Braxton said. “Arkansas is definitely a school that I'd go to, just in case."

Three-stars Jeremiah Hughes and RJ Johnson joined Braxton to form what was a dream-like group for first-year defensive backs coach Dominique Bowman.

Hughes, the Pine Bluff native who currently suits up for Bishop Gorman (Nev.), announced via Twitter last night that he'd be closing his recruitment, and deciding between Arkansas, LSU, Utah and Washington on July 7.

Johnson, who Arkansas pursued later than most of his remaining schools, was especially complimentary of his visit, going as far as saying he "would love to come play for Coach Bowman."

That relationship, paired with his admiration for what Sam Pittman is building in Fayetteville has Arkansas hopeful that they can land the 5.7-priority CB target.

Lastly, joining Adams as potential additions to coach Kenny Guiton's receiver room was another highly-touted recruit with ties to Arkansas in Joshua Manning.

The Lee's Summit (Mo.) four-star has emerged as one of - if not Arkansas' premier targets at wideout, and for good reason.

A star in his own right, Manning turned to a pretty notable Razorback receiver in Treylon Burks when describing what he likes about Kendal Briles' offense.

"He was a playmaker honestly," Manning said. "The big, explosive plays and that's why he went in the first round."

Furthering Arkansas' chances are the fact that Manning is a legacy, as his mother, Roxanne McCrory, played basketball for the Lady Razorbacks back in the '90s.

Three-Star Wideout Reminds Staff of Treylon Burks

In addition to the slew of official visitors, the Arkansas staff has been on a tear of offering summer positional camps to recruits.

One such prospect who has taken advantage of the opportunity is Alabama three-star wideout Davion Dozier.

Dozier picked up his offer from Arkansas in May, and made quick work of planning out an unofficial visit for this past weekend. Prior to setting foot in Fayetteville, Dozier included the Razorbacks in his top five last week, joined by Duke, Maryland, South Carolina and Tennessee.

That visit went well, according to an interview with Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Sean Williams, where Dozier says he plans on setting an official trip to Arkansas when they take on the defending AAC champion Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 3.

"Me and Coach Pittman talked and it was an overall great experience being up there," Dozier said. "They like that I'm a tall, athletic receiver. They said I remind them of Treylon Burks."

With no timeline yet in place for the 6-foot-4, 185-pound receiver's commitment, Arkansas is reportedly playing the long game with Dozier, as he says they're willing to wait on him to make a decision without any pressure to commit.

One Final Round of Visitors Could be a Jackpot for Pittman and Co.

With two commitments in as many weekends in the books, Arkansas looks to round out a productive June with a bang.

The Arkansas staff seems primed for one last hoorah in the coming weeks, and they'll have the horses to do so over the next three days, including Rivals250 ATH prospect Micah Tease.

The Booker T. Washington (Okla.) four-star comes to town off the heels of trips to Michigan State and USC just a month after including the trio in his top ten.

Also making that cut were Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas A&M.

One thing working in Arkansas' favor is fellow Oklahoman and current commitment Luke Hasz, who has been a vocal recruiter throughout Tease's process. Hasz's brother Dylan, who earned an offer from Arkansas at the start of the month, is also locked in for an official trip.

Whether or not Luke will make the trip is unknown at this time, but the staff will have its fair share of commitments helping them out regardless.

Carson Dean, Kaleb James and Quincy Rhodes are all set to get another look at their future home on official visits as well. The trio of commits will have no shortage of talent to attempt to add to the nation's 11th-ranked class. For a full list, plus a new Rivals250 addition to the slate and recaps from all of Arkansas' official visitors, check out our June 2022 Visitors thread over at the Trough.

Arkansas Awaiting Announcement from Major Four-Star Hoops Target

With football red-hot on the trail of late, is it really a surprise that Eric Musselman would remind the Razorback faithful what he's capable of?

That's exactly what he'll hope to do when four-star point guard Layden Blocker announces his college decision tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Though now enrolled at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita (Kan.), Blocker began his high school career at Little Rock Christian - where he'll be announcing his commitment.

The Razorbacks are the presumed favorites for the 6-foot-2 in-state prospect, with nearby Kansas State giving them a run for their money.

You can attend the ceremony yourself or just check back in at HawgBeat for coverage of the nation's No. 37 prospect's decision day.

#Committed

The fun didn't end with the conclusion of official visits on Sunday, as the Hogs added commitments No. 13 and 14 to their 11th-ranked 2023 class.

Ian Geffrard, who I mentioned earlier on, was somewhat of a surprise commit, after telling media that Arkansas trailed Auburn for his services just two days earlier.

Nonetheless, the 6-foot-6, 335-pound hybrid lineman provides an interesting look for first-year defensive line coach Deke Adams' front, choosing Arkansas over a handful of SEC offers, as well as Texas and West Virginia out of the Big 12.

Also joining the Razorback class was Texas defensive back Christian Ford.

Ford, though unrated by Rivals, holds an impressive offer sheet boasting the likes of Arizona State, Colorado, Nebraska, TCU and Washington State. Ford also came far less surprisingly for the staff, letting them know at dinner Saturday evening.

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