Five recruiting misses for Bret Bielema at Arkansas

Arkansas officially moved on from head coach Bret Bielema on Friday night, ending a tenure that saw its share of ups and downs. In the end, the Hawgs didn’t quite have enough talent to keep up in the heavily competitive SEC West. Given that Arkansas isn’t a state known for producing a number of elite recruits, the coach in Fayetteville often has to go outside the state to fill out most of the roster. But what about the players close to home that Bielema and his staff missed on? Today we examine five players that either slipped out of state despite Bielema’s best efforts or left after being passed over by their in-state school to see how they might have helped change Bielema’s fortunes.

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As a recruit: An Arkansas native, Hill initially made his commitment to the Razorbacks and seemed destined to stay close to home and play for the Hawgs. But a late push from Alabama opened his eyes and Hill backed off his commitment a month before Signing Day in 2015. After visiting both Ohio State and Alabama, Hill made a Signing Day pledge to the Buckeyes, a move that caught many by surprise.

What he’s done since: Hill redshirted his first year on campus in Columbus but has been a mainstay in the lineup over each of the past two seasons. In 2017, he his having his best year by far, leading the Buckeyes in receptions with 49 heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan despite just starting four of 11 contests. Some have mentioned Hill’s name as a potential early-entree candidate for the NFL Draft but he’s likely to return and will be one of the top options in the passing game if he does. Hill’s importance on a Top 10 team like Ohio State only proves the fact that he would have been an impact player with the Razorbacks had he stayed home.

As a recruit: Despite being a standout player in the state of Arkansas, Crockett never did enough to earn an offer from the Hawgs. He made an early commitment to Boise State over Arizona State in the summer before his senior year, but a late visit to Missouri helped the Tigers flip him from the Broncos. Arkansas signed highly-ranked prospect Devwah Whaley in the 2016 class as well as three-star fullback Hayden Johnson.

What he’s done since: Arkansas’ decision to pass on Crockett was controversial at the time and became an even larger talking point after Crockett ran for 1,062 yards as a true freshman in 2016. Crockett was on pace for another 1,000-yard season in 2017 before going down with a season-ending injury in the Tigers loss to Georgia in October. Whaley has had a standout career in Fayetteville, but given how much Bielema liked to run the ball, it’s hard to imagine that the two couldn’t have paired to cause plenty of problems from opposing defenses.

As a recruit: As the top player in the state of Arkansas in the Class of 2014, Frazier was a major priority for Bielema and the Arkansas staff. But a recruit of his caliber drew national attention, with Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M and USC among the main contenders for his services. Frazier ended up surprising many when he announced a commitment to the Tide in Nov. 2013 and despite taking some visits after his announcement, he stuck with the Tide.

What’s he done since: It’s easy to think about how things might have gone different for both parties had Frazier elected to stay close to home and play for the Hawgs. Frazier has played since Day 1 in Tuscaloosa, but at a position where elite recruits join the fold on a yearly basis. As a result, he’s never been more than a rotational player. This season has been by far his most productive year with the Tide, but still he’s only recorded 11 total tackles. Frazier has been a contributing part of a winning team but it’s easy to see a scenario in which he helped the Arkansas defense while playing a big role had things worked out differently.

As a recruit: Following his junior season, Thomas camped and impressed at Arkansas but didn’t do quite enough to earn an scholarship offer from the Hawgs. Ultimately, Thomas chose Minnesota, one of only two Power Five offers he received, over Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech and Tulsa.

What he’s done since: Thomas redshirted his first year on campus but came into 2017 and won the starting job despite some nagging injuries. Heading into Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, Thomas had recorded 20 total tackles, good enough for 10th on the team despite missing three games due to injury. Arkansas had defensive issues all year and if Thomas is starting on a Power Five team as a freshman, it’s hard to imagine he couldn’t have helped the team’s depth in the secondary.

As a recruit: Hastings was a very productive high school player who also impressed at his share of offseason camps. But listed at just 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, Hastings never could do quite enough to get any FBS school, let alone Arkansas, to pull the trigger on an offer. Rather than play at a lower level, Hastings elected to walk on at Auburn as a kicker and he joined the team prior to the start of the 2015 season.

What he’s done since: Hastings started his career as a kicker, even appearing in two games and kicking as a true freshman in 2015. Following that season he moved to wide receiver and in 2016 he played in 11 games, catching 11 passes. But this year Hastings has become a major part of the Auburn offense and a security blankets of sorts for quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Heading into Saturday’s game against Alabama, Hastings has 388 yards receiving with three touchdowns and is also averaging 20 yards per catch. Those numbers would put him among the tops on the Arkansas roster and while it’s hard to fault Arkansas for not offering considering Hastings had to walk on the with Tigers, it still stings to have a local player succeeding with an SEC rival ranked in the Top 10.