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Each week, HawgBeat.com provides a completely free update of everything going on in the recruiting world for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Roundup
Arkansas targets starting to schedule official visits
As the summer gets closer, some of Arkansas' targets are scheduled to take official visits to see the school this June.
The main difference between an unofficial visit, according to the NCAA's website, lies in who pays for these visits. Unofficial visits, for example, are not paid for by the school.
"Unofficial visits are college visits which are not paid for by the school," The NCAA's website reads. "These visits are entirely financed by the recruit’s family. Unofficial visits are unlimited, but some rules do apply."
Official visits, on the other hand, are when coaches have the chance to roll the red carpet out for recruits. Until recently, recruits were only allowed five official visits to prospective schools, but a recent rule change has allowed recruits the opportunity to take as many official visits as they want. They can only take one official visit to a particular school, though, unless there is a coaching change after taking their initial official visit.
These visits usually last 48 hours, or the length of a weekend. They can only be taken as early as April 1 of the athlete's junior year.
So far, 12 Arkansas targets have either posted on Twitter or told HawgBeat of their plans to officially visit. To see the list of players, head on over to The Trough, HawgBeat's premium message board.
State of Texas sees big jump in offers from Hogs
One of the most talent-rich states in the country has been getting a lot of attention from the Arkansas coaching staff this week. Sam Pittman's crew has sent out a total of six offers to recruits in the Lone Star state since Wednesday.
One of those is Kaydon Finley, an athlete in the class of 2026 out of Aledo. He is the son of former Green Bay Packers and Texas Longhorns tight end Jermichael Finley.
Two others hail from just south of the Dallas metro, in the neighboring cities of DeSoto and Red Oak. DeSoto is also the hometown of current Arkansas wide receiver Jaedon Wilson.
To see all of the offers to recruits in the last week, check out The Trough or read HawgBeat's story on Arkansas extending offers.
Four-star WR target commits to Oklahoma
One of Arkansas' top targets at the wide receiver position is off the board, as Missouri City, Texas, wide receiver Zion Kearney announced his commitment to Oklahoma on Thursday.
The four-star wide receiver was set to take an official visit to Arkansas on June 2, but it appears that is off the table now that he has joined Brent Venables' team in Norman.
In addition to Arkansas and Oklahoma, Kearney was also being pursued by LSU. He is ranked the No. 128 player in the country and the No. 16 wide receiver according to Rivals.
Kearney had taken a visit to Arkansas during one of its Prospect Days on Jan. 21.
Brother of Arkansas DE Landon Jackson gets offer from Texas
More competition has entered the arena for Lance Jackson, the brother of current Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson. He reported an offer from Texas on Tuesday.
The Pleasant Grove High School product plays both tight end and defensive end, and is currently ranked the No. 13 player in the state of Texas and No. 94 player in the country according to Rivals.
Jackson has taken several visits to Arkansas this year, most recently for the Razorbacks' spring game on April 15.
In addition to Arkansas and now Texas, Jackson holds offers from Kansas State, Baylor, Houston, Notre Dame and others.
Fort Smith offensive lineman pushes back commitment date
The Arkansas coaching staff will need to wait a little longer to hear what they hope to be good news from Fort Smith Southside product Kobe Branham.
Branham, an offensive lineman in the class of 2024, told HawgBeat on Thursday he is pushing his commitment date back to June 26. He recently released a Top 5 that included Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and SMU.
The 6-foot-6, 330-pound offensive lineman reported an offer from Arkansas on March 11.
Branham has taken a few visits to Arkansas in the last few months, and was on the Hill for the Red-White game on April 15. He also has an official visit scheduled to Arkansas for June 23-26.
Arkansas does not yet have an offensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class.
Arkansas guard Derrian Ford enters transfer portal
The transfer portal gives and takes away for college basketball teams across the country and Arkansas is not immune. After originally tweeting on April 9 he intended to return to the program, freshman guard Derrian Ford announced on his Twitter account he entered the transfer portal on Thursday.
Ford played in a limited capacity for Eric Musselman's squad last season, appearing in 21 games and averaging 3.8 minutes per game. He scored in seven different games, including a four-point outing in the Jan. 18 loss at Missouri. Ford added three rebounds on two occasions and he had a season-high three assists in the Dec. 3 win over San Jose State.
With Ford's departure, Arkansas' roster for 2023-24 now has 13 projected scholarship players, which is the maximum you can have on a roster. Four of those players — Davonte Davis, Jordan Walsh, El Ellis and Tramon Mark — have declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining college eligibility.
Ford is the third Razorback to enter the transfer portal, joining forward Makhel Mitchell and fellow freshman Barry Dunning.
