Arkansas’ Highest-Rated In-State Signees of the Last 10 Years
Although he made it through four years in Fayetteville, his career never panned out the way anyone anticipated. He was in and out of the starting lineup and only made 52 tackles in his four-year career. Winston is the prime example of a five-star bust.
Winston only had one interception in his four years with the Hogs. Winston was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals but never played.
As a bright spot on the defensive line for the Razorbacks, Sosa is still leaving his mark on the Hill. Agim chose his home state school over Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington State and more.
Agim started in five games as a freshman and tied for second among SEC freshmen for sacks with 2.5. He was the Hogs second most productive tackler in 2017 and started all but one game. He's trending to have a great 2018 season so for now, this home-grown pick-up was definitely a win.
The Razorbacks have made it a habit in the last few years to sign the highest rated player in the state and they've done so since 2015, signing Cheyenne O'Grady, the second best tight end in the nation. O'Grady redshirted his first year on the Hill and waited in the wings behind Hunter Henry his sophomore year. As a junior, O'Grady caught just 21 balls for two scores but he looked very good this spring and his productivity should increase in Chad Morris's offense.
De'Anthony Curtis was the No. 6-ranked running back in the nation but the Razorbacks used him at multiple positions during his tenure as a Hog. He played both running back and cornerback. After graduating from Arkansas, Curtis signed as a rookie free agent with the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he appeared in three NFL games in August 2012. Curtis was named the running backs coach at Lyon College in 2015 and added special team coordinator duties in 2016.
One of the Hogs best recruits of the last 10 years, Hunter Henry, wasn't even the no.1 athlete in the state. The highest rated player out of Arkansas in 2013 was running back Altee Tenpenny who signed with Alabama before transferring to UNLV; Tenpenny died in a car crash in 2015.
The 4-star prospect started in seven games his freshman year and ended up becoming one of just eight tight ends in SEC history to reach the triple-digit mark in receptions. Henry didn't drop a single pass in his junior season so I think it's fair to say he might've been the strongest pick up on this list. Henry was drafted by the Chargers but will miss the 2018 season with an ACL injury.
Arkansas lost the No. 1 in the state back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014. In 2014, the top prospect, defensive tackle Joshua Frazier, decided to take his talents to Alabama which eventually got him drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft. The No. 2 athlete in the state, Bijhon Jackson, was a solid four-year contributor for the Hogs on the defensive line and he played in 50 of 51 total games. Jackson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the LA Chargers.
Brey Cook was a consistent starter for the Hogs after his sophomore season. He blocked for running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, who were the only FBS teammates to each rush for 1,000-plus yards in the 2014 season. Cook is currently a GA for the offensive line at Memphis.