Nearly 24 hours after Arkansas athletic director [autotag]Hunter Yurachek[/autotag] confirming [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag]’s return as head coach next season, the first domino has fallen.
Michigan State transfer offensive lineman [autotag]Keyshawn Blackstock[/autotag], announced his commitment to the Razorbacks on Monday afternoon. Blackstock is the first transfer addition of what will likely be an extremely busy offseason.
This is home 🔴⚪️ committed!!@CoachSamPittman @CoachCKennedy @CoachOatesOL pic.twitter.com/1Rm6l8q27O
— keyshawn blackstock (@keyshawnblacks5) November 20, 2023
Blackstock, a 6-5, 300-pound offensive tackle entered the transfer portal back in late October and was a hot commodity, as he held offers from Ole Miss, Penn State, NC State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and others. He was the No. 1 rated JUCO lineman prospect in the 2023 class, and committed to Michigan State following a two-year stint at Kansas’ Coffeyville Community College.
As mentioned previously, the timing of Blackstock’s announcement comes less than a day after Pittman’s job security for next year was confirmed. This could be the first of many dominos to fall for Arkansas recruiting in the coming weeks – both in the portal and high school ranks.
For now, Blackstock fits a huge need on the offensive line, which has been the bane of this Razorback team throughout the entire season. It’s the first step of many needed to get that unit back up to a competitive and competent level.