Texas QB Malik Hornsby calls the Hogs

Malik Hornsby's road to National Signing Day took no shortage of turns and twists to get the quarterback where is now.

The nation's No. 14-ranked dual-threat quarterback committed to Arkansas on Wednesday, signaling the end of a recruitment that had him very close to Texas A&M early on and at one point included a short-lived commitment to North Carolina.

Down the stretch, staff changes at different schools forced Hornsby to delay committing at the All-American Bowl. Purdue made some noise during the fall as it offered Hornsby and quickly got him on campus for an official visit. Baylor was a team trending before Matt Rhule departed Waco for the NFL. Arkansas emerged late thanks to the presence of former Houston and Florida State play-caller Kendal Briles, who has held a relationship with Hornsby for several years and recruited him at each stop.

Hornsby gives Sam Pittman and the Hogs a much-needed option under center as they prepare for a new era of Arkansas football.

Hornsby was a silent commitment to Texas A&M several years back when Jimbo Fisher and former assistant Tim Brewster were both in Aggieland. Hornsby, to this day, has a fantastic bond with Brewster that had Hornsby highly connected to the Aggies for several years early on in the process.

When Brewster left, A&M began to turn its attention to other quarterbacks across the country and in Texas. That opened the door for Hornsby to do the same. He looked at Oregon, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and North Carolina for some time and took his first official visit to Chapel Hill for the spring game in April. About a week later, Hornsby committed to the Tar Heels, who had recently tagged Brewster as one of their assistants.

Hornsby's commitment to North Carolina was short-lived, though, as Mack Jones and co. added another signal-caller to the 2020 class soon after Hornsby pledged. And for a second time in his recruitment, Hornsby had to press reset on the entire process.

Yet again, a cast of schools that included Oregon and Florida State stood out to the dual-threat prospect. Purdue and Maryland each offered midway through his senior season at Fort Bend Marshall and he quickly made the trek up to Purdue for an official visit -- and canceled his trip to Florida State in the process.

While Purdue was quickly surging, Hornsby also began to start paying more attention to Bayor, which was making a strong push for the in-state prospect during the fall. Hornsby took an unofficial visit in November and was forging strong bonds in Waco -- only for Rhule to leave Baylor for the Carolina Panthers, which eventually knocked the Bears out of the Hornsby sweepstakes.

Hornsby visited Arkansas in January and reconnected with Briles, who recruited him at Houston, then Florida State and now in Fayetteville. That relationship loomed large here and it was comforting enough for Hornsby to cancel his final official visit to Baylor on Jan. 31 weekend.

At one point, Hornsby was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the country because of the threat he poses with a big arm and incredible mobility. As it stands today, Arkansas is still getting one of the biggest playmakers in the 2020 class.

As a quarterback, there may not be a more dangerous running threat in the country than Hornsby. He's a state champion sprinter who has clocked a 10.78-second 100-meter time and a 22.51 in the 200-meter. In space, there is no defense for Hornsby, who was a run-first quarterback a senior in 2019 and is a home-run threat if he finds a hole in the defense. He's got blazing speed and often attacks weaknesses he sees before the snaps. Hornsby's ability to turn to his legs to make a play or extend a play is what makes him such an intriguing quarterback prospect.

Hornsby has turned in mix reviews as a pure passer. He has good arm strength and can make accurate throws when he isn't under duress, but he has some areas to shore up before he's ready to compete effectively in the SEC. For one, at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio last month, Hornsby struggled with the speed of the game and had difficulties evading an elite-level pass rush.

Hornsby was impressive during the practices during the week. He fared well in 1-on-1s, throwing accurately on a consistent basis and connecting with his receivers in stride more often than not. However, the game showed us that there will be an adjustment period in which he can improve his pocket presence and some technical aspects of his throwing motion and also anticipate a pass rush on Saturdays.