Rivals national recruiting analyst Nick Harris takes a look at how far Arkansas can go in recruiting under Sam Pittman, the available options at wide receiver for Texas and Texas A&M in 2023 and the rising talent in the 2024 class in Louisiana.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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1. What is Arkansas' recruiting ceiling?
In Sam Pittman's third season at Arkansas, the Razorbacks are continuing to show signs of improvement from year-to-year and giving the Fayetteville faithful multiple reasons to believe that bright times are ahead, and it's easy to see why.
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has Arkansas among the top 30 in total offense, the Razorbacks have at least competed with every team in the SEC aside from Georgia since Pittman's arrival and most importantly the culture that Pittman has built has recruits buying in to the future as well. But that begs me to ask the question, what exactly is Arkansas' ceiling on the recruiting trail?
The Razorbacks are on pace for their first top 15 finish in Rivals history behind having some big names in the class such as four-star quarterback Malachi Singleton, in-state four-star tight end Shamar Easter and athletic four-star cornerback Jaylon Braxton, to name a few. However, Arkansas hasn't been able to enter the conversation of being a dangerous recruiter outside of its own region which is something that would help push the Razorbacks into the top 10 conversation.
Winning cures all problems, and it surely looks like Pittman will do quite a bit of that in the years to come, but is it possible for him to hit a ceiling in the toughest conference in college sports? I think it's premature to answer that question, but for a program that hasn't really been able to fully overcome the nationally elite programs since before the turn of the century, we have to consider the possibility that it may be too tough to do in the new era of college football.
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2. The answer for Texas and Texas A&M at wide receiver is in the state of Texas.
The wide receiver talent in the state of Texas in the class of 2023 isn't as deep as previous or future classes, but the talent remains, even with a lot of the options already off of the board.
For the state's two flagship programs, Texas and Texas A&M both have holes in their respective classes at the wide receiver position. The Longhorns are down to two pledges after losing a commitment from four-star Jonah Wilson last Saturday and the Aggies have yet to find a commit at the position at all.
Fortunately, there are multiple options that are more than capable of that level of play still in the state of Texas that just need one of these programs to reach out and initiate contact.
We can start with a list of commits that I believe could be "flippable" if approached correctly: LSU commit Kyle Parker, four-star Texas Tech commit Tyrone West and Baylor commit Micah Gifford. All three have had strong senior seasons and could be solid fits for each program.
As for uncommitted prospects, three-star Justin Stevenson remains one of the most athletic under-recruited prospects in the entire state, regardless of position. Ja'Ryan Wallace is experiencing a wave of attention following a public spat with Florida State earlier this week and could provide an athletic body into either receiver room. Wilson also remains an option for both programs despite decommitting from Texas, but I would especially be intrigued if Texas A&M were to pursue.
Both programs are looking from a national lens to fill the remaining spots, and rightfully so with legitimate chances at top prospects. But if it comes down to expanding the board, their own backyard is a solid starting spot.
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3. The class of 2024 in Louisiana is only getting stronger as the season goes on.
Year after year, the state of Louisiana produces some of the most athletic prospects across the country that go on to play at the Power Five level and dominate after a year or two of development. It's almost been like clockwork seeing products from The Boot dominate on the college ranks based off of developed raw athletic traits, and I don't see the 2024 class being any different.
In the class' current junior season, prospects from across the state, including those at the top, are starting to prove their worth among the elite and highly recruited.
We can start up top with four-stars Tylen Singleton, Trey'Drez Green and Wardell Mack who have all taken on a bigger role this season and are taking full advantage while showing mass offseason improvements along the way. Four-star Ju'Juan Johnson generated a ton of buzz on the college camp circuit and has shown on the field that he is worthy of the attention. On the defensive side of the ball, four-star outside linebacker Kolaj Cobbins is racking up offers amid a huge junior season rushing the passer.
Further into the ranks, I continue to love what I see from LSU commit Xavier Atkins. An absolute tackling machine, Atkins is always the most impactful player on the field when he steps between the lines. Johnson's teammate at Lafayette (La.) Christian Academy, Sandy Lewis, is also making noise after picking up offers from Alabama and Texas A&M over the summer. Just southeast of Lafayette in New Iberia, defensive end De'Myrion Johnson has colleges keeping a close eye amid a strong junior year.
When the season is said and done, there is the potential for 12-15 four-star prospects to come out of Louisiana as the state continues to churn out talent in 2024.
