Recruiting Roundup: Quarterback commit, basketball picks up transfers

Are you a displaced corporate executive or wanting to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, Andy Luedecke can help! Andy is a long-time Rivals member and franchise veteran, having owned multiple franchises and businesses. Using his expertise, he helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!

Find Your Perfect Franchise at MyPerfectFranchise.Net

Contact Andy Luedecke (aka @Andy MyPerfectFranchise.Net) anytime at:

aluedecke@myperfectfranchise.net

(404) 973-9901

www.myperfectfranchise.net

Each week, HawgBeat.com provides a completely free update of everything going on in the recruiting world for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The waiting game for a quarterback in the 2024 class is over as Arkansas gained the commitment of four-star quarterback KJ Jackson on Sunday night.

Jackson took a visit to Fayetteville over the weekend, then trimmed his school list to just two: Arkansas and North Carolina.

The Montgomery, Alabama, native made his pledge to the Razorbacks public on Instagram live, and later posted the announcement on Twitter.

Jackson told HawgBeat the most important part of his decision is because he believes he can win at Arkansas.

"The most important thing, which should be number one for everybody is I just want to win," Jackson said. "I like to win football games. So that's the most important thing to me. And then after that, I would say it's a place that's going to develop me so I can be the best player there and I can thrive in that environment."

In his junior campaign for St. James Academy in Alabama, Jackson helped lead his team to a 13-2 record last season, capped off with a 3A State Championship win over Piedmont High School. He threw for 2,813 yards, finding the end zone 42 times. He also added six scores on the ground on 77 carries for 171 yards.

Sam Pittman and the Arkansas coaching staff reached into Mississippi once again, gaining the commitment of 2024 four-star athlete Julius “JuJu” Pope on Saturday.

The 6-foot, 190-pound athlete most recently took a visit to Arkansas on March 4 for one of Arkansas’ Prospect Days. He told Rivals what kind of player the Hogs are getting in him.

"I’m bringing a team-first type of guy," Pope said. "A dog. A player that will put himself in a position that will make the team win a national championship."

Playing on both sides of the ball for South Panola, Pope plays running back and linebacker, but he seems to have formed a great relationship with Arkansas co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson.

Last season, Pope recorded 82 total tackles, including nine sacks and 19 tackles for loss. Offensively, he rushed for 490 yards on 41 carries, finding the end zone eight times on the ground and once through the air.

Pope is ranked the No. 215 player in the country and the No. 18 athlete according to Rivals.

A decision looms for Birmingham, Alabama, defensive back Tevis Metcalf, who released his top schools list on Friday.

Metcalf, the brother of current Arkansas defensive back TJ Metcalf, included Georgia Tech, Auburn, Colorado and Arkansas in his top schools list. He reports on his Twitter account that last season he recorded four interceptions, seven pass breakups and allowed just one catch.

The 5-foot-10, 174-pound athlete is scheduled to make a trip to Fayetteville this coming weekend for Arkansas' Red-White game, and he also took a visit on April 4. He visited to Auburn this past weekend on April 7.

The No. 69 player in the state of Texas has released his top 5 schools, and Arkansas found itself firmly in the mix.

Kenyan Kelly, a four-star safety from Denison, Texas, included Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, TCU and Texas-San Antonio in his top 5.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound safety is ranked the No. 69 player in the state of Texas and No. 31 defensive back in the country according to Rivals.

Kelly was re-offered by the Arkansas defensive coaching staff on March 17 while on a visit to Fayetteville. He also hold offers from Oklahoma, Tennessee, LSU and others.

The transfer portal has begun to heat up now that the NCAA Tournament is over, and Arkansas is firmly in the mix for several transfers. Eric Musselman and his coaching staff got great news on Tuesday when Washington guard Keyon Menifield announced he will transfer to Arkansas.

A former three-star prospect and native of Flint, Michigan, Menifield averaged 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a freshman with the Huskies in 2022-23.

During his Pac-12 All-Freshman campaign, Menifield was the only Husky to play in all 32 games and he started 21 of those.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 150 pound guard shot 41.0% from the field, 33.0% from three and 69.8% from the free throw line. He also added 1.1 steals per game.

Another piece of the Arkansas basketball roster was filled on Sunday as Houston guard Tramon Mark announced he will be transferring to Arkansas next season.

Mark, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound left-handed guard out of Dickinson, Texas, was one of only two players to start all 37 games for the Cougars, who finished the regular season No. 2 in the AP poll and earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Coming out of Dickinson High School, Mark was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 19 overall shooting guard in the class of 2020 by Rivals. As a senior, he averaged 29.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game and led the Gators to the UIL Class 6A state semifinals before season was canceled due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Mark is the second transfer to commit to Arkansas in this cycle, joining Washington transfer Keyon Menifield. More roster movement is expect for the Razorbacks, so stay up to date on The Trough premium message board.

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