Category: Arkansas recruiting

Tevis Metcalf signs to bolster Arkansas secondary

Tevis Metcalf joins his brother TJ in Arkansas’ secondary.

Tevis Metcalf, one of the top defensive backs in Alabama, will call Arkansas home.

The athlete from Clay signed with the Razorbacks on Wednesday during early signing day, providing Arkansas with four defensive backs in Class of 2024.

Metcalf will join his brother, TJ, who signed with Arkansas last year, in the secondary. Tevis a bit smaller than his elder brother, checking in at 5-foot-10, 186 pounds, but he still held offers from Colorado, Auburn and Georgia Tech among others.

Metcalf was injured during his senior season, but was good in years prior, Arkansas was willing to stick with him after he committed in the spring.

He joins Selmon Bridges, Julius Pope, Jaden Allen and Ahkhari Johnson as defensive backs in Arkansas’ signing class.

Kavion Henderson joins Arkansas up front on defensive line

Kavion Henderson signed with Arkansas after being committed for over a year.

Arkansas’ defensive line in 2023 was one of the positional groups on the roster.

Wednesday it got even better.

Four-star recruit Kavion Henderson signed with Arkansas during early signing day after being committed to the Razorbacks for over a year. He held offers from Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan and Notre Dame among others.

Henderson joined fellow defensive end Charleston Collins as Arkansas’ top two signings of the day, providing the Razorbacks even more talent at an already talent-rich spot.

Arkansas is already returning second-team All-SEC defensive end Landon Jackson and starting defensive tackle Cam Ball, though Henderson – and Collins – will get a shot at defensive end early given his skill set.

Arkansas lands the state’s No. 1 defensive player

Charleston Collins’ signing with Arkansas gave the Hogs some much-needed in-state talent.

Charleston Collins didn’t waver.

During an Arkansas offseason marked by the disappointment of losing out on some of the state’s top talent, Collins’ signing with the Razorbacks provided a bit of positivity.

The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive lineman is a consensus four-star recruit and the top-ranked defensive player in the Natural State. Collins had 115 tackles, including 31 for-loss, with 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and four pass break-ups as a senior at Mills.

Collins will join a group of defensive linemen that were perhaps Arkansas’ best unit in 2023 and he could join fellow Arkansas native Quincy Rhoads in provided the Razorbacks a dynamite freshman duo up front in 2024.

In all, Arkansas landed five players from within the state’s borders on Wednesday.

Southside’s Branham signs with Razorbacks

Branham is one of two high school and three collegiate offensive linemen who signed with the Hogs.

The Southside football program in Fort Smith hadn’t been a major player when it comes to sending athletes to Arkansas in recent years.

Kobe Branham hopes to the first in a new line.

The Mavericks’ offensive lineman signed with Arkansas during early signing day on Wednesday. He was one of two offensive linemen Sam Pittman signed out of high school, joining Zuri Madison.

That duo will join transfers Addison Nichols, Keyshawn Blackstock and Fernando Carmona as Arkansas attempts to fix one of the worst offensive lines in FBS from 2023.

Arkansas gave up 47 sacks and ran for just 139 yards per game last year, ranking 90th.

Branham held offers from Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and UNLV, where former Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom is head coach.

Braylen Russell the latest Arkansas native running back to sign with Hogs

Braylen Russell, a four-star recruit from Benton, signed with the Hogs and immediately bolsters the running back room.

The best running backs in Arkansas often call Fayetteville home when they head to college.

The latest is Braylen Russell. The four-star recruit out of Benton High School signed with Arkansas on early signing day and he should get ample opportunity almost immediately.

Russell committed to Arkansas back in July even though he held offers from Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina and several others. He ran for almost 3,000 yards and had 46 touchdowns over his last two years of high school.

Arkansas needs bodies at running back, badly. Preseason All-American Rocket Sanders transferred to South Carolina earlier in December and leading rusher AJ Green entered the portal, as well. That leaves Rashod Dubinion, Isaiah Augustave and Dominique Johnson.

Hogs sign Jaden Allen on early signing day

Don’t let Jaden Allen’s 5-foot-10, 155-pound frame fool you. The man can cover and held offers from Alabama and Texas.

Arkansas’ secondary was the most improve unit on the team from 2022 to 2023, but extra bodies are always needed.

The Razorbacks landed several on Wednesday during early signing day, with Texas’ Jaden Allen one of the most prominent.

Allen had been committed to Arkansas since April and held firm despite offers from Alabama and Texas. Impressive suitors, especially considering Allen is just 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds.

That’s how good his coverage skills are. At that size, Allen will almost certainly redshirt in the 2024 season to add bulk. Arkansas can afford that, as the Hogs return a bulk of their two-deep next year.

The Razorbacks had the No. 31 pass defense in FBS last year, giving up just 203 yards a game after finishing last the year before, allowing 298.

Bentonville’s CJ Brown officially makes Arkansas home

CJ Brown, technically labeled an athlete, will likely join Arkansas’ wide receiver room.

Bentonville High wide receiver CJ Brown bolstered Arkansas’ in-state recruiting on Wednesday when he officially signed with the Razorbacks.

Brown, a three-star athlete, technically, will almost certainly slot into Arkansas’ wide receiver room. That will give him an opportunity to redshirt and learn as Arkansas will return its top five wideouts from the 2023.

Brown had been committed to Arkansas since June, though he held offers from Tennessee, Purdue, Louisville, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. He caught 55 passes for BHS in the fall, racking up 1,254 yards and 15 touchdowns just up I-49 from Fayetteville.

As of Wednesday at noon, Brown is the only wide receiver to join the Hogs on early signing day. The state’s top wideout, Courtney Crutchfield, had been committed to Arkansas but spurned the Razorbacks for Missouri earlier in the week.

Ashton Bethel-Roman, a four-star wideout from Texas, is expected to sign with Arkansas in the new year.

Texarkana’s Ahkhari Johnson signs with Arkansas

Ahkhari Johnson will likely join Arkansas’ defensive backfield.

Texarkana has been a fertile area for Arkansas football in the past.

Ahkhari Johnson hopes to be the next great Razorback football player from the border town.

Johnson, a three-star athlete from Pleasant Grove High School, signed with Arkansas on Wednesday during early signing day. Incidentally, the signing comes almost a year to the day that former Arkansas defensive back Khari Johnson transferred to Boston College. Ahkhari Johnson, too, is expected to play in the secondary.

Johnson is a consensus three-star recruit who had been committed to Arkansas since June and was one of four players labeled as an athlete in the Hogs class as coach Sam Pittman sought to recruit talent just as much as position.

Former Arkansas greats from Texarkana include running back Dennis Johnson and quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Arkansas lands another four-star quarterback named KJ

Arkansas has had fortune with quarterbacks named KJ and the Hogs are hoping Jackson is next.

KJ Jefferson announced his intention to transfer from Arkansas earlier in the week after five years, leaving the Hogs with their first quarterback question going into the season since coach Sam Pittman arrived as coach.

But Arkansas didn’t go without a QB named KJ for long.

Four-star quarterback KJ Jackson signed with the Razorbacks on Wednesday morning on early signing day. Jackson had been committed to Arkansas since April and held offers from Penn State, Kansas, Louisville and Kentucky.

A dual-threat quarterback like Jefferson, Jackson is a bit smaller at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. And while he lacks Jefferson’s strength, his speed and mobility are superior.

He’s unlikely to be Arkansas’ starter in his first year, though. The Razorbacks return last year’s No. 2 Jacolby Criswell, added transfer Taylen Green from Boise State and have Class of 2023 quarterback Malachi Singleton all competing for that job.

Arkansas native Wyatt Simmons signs with Hogs

Wyatt Simmons stuck with his home-state team, signing with Arkansas on Wednesday.

Much had been made in the last month with Arkansas’ inability to land as many in-state recruits as it had in the past.

But one of the best ones, Harding Academy’s Wyatt Simmons, chose his home-state flagship school.

Simmons is ranked the 15th best inside linebacker in the country in his class and held offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Southern California, Clemson and Auburn among others.

He committed to Arkansas in mid-August and he comes from a program that has been in the national spotlight recently as Harding University, a team with several Harding Academy players, won the Division II football national championship.

Arkansas’ linebacker room could use the depth, too. Chris Paul Jr. and Jordan Crook, the No. 1 and No. 4 linebackers on the roster entering last year both transferred.