Tag: Arkansas football

Three-star wide receiver commits to Arkansas

Antonio Jordan chose Arkansas over offers from Florida State, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU.

Three-star in-state wide receiver Antonio Jordan committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks out of Warren High School on Sunday. He is the second wide receiver to commit to the Hogs for the class of 2025 and the 14th overall commitment Arkansas has received.

Jordan earned Class 4A All-State honors at Warren during his junior season. Florida State, South Carolina and Tennessee are schools that Arkansas beat out for Jordan’s commitment. Both 247Sports and On3 have Jordan listed as the eighth best receiver in Arkansas in the 2025 class heading into his senior season at Warren. 247Sports lists Jordan as the 121st best receiver in the nation entering 2024.

He is the second three-star receiver to commit to Arkansas from the class of 2025, joining Kamare Williams from Palm Beach Central High School in Florida. Jordan is listed as 6-foot-6, 230 pounds by 247Sports.

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How bad will Arkansas be in 2024? Phil Steele offers dismal projection

Phil Steele has the Razorbacks finishing ahead of only two teams in the SEC standings.

Few, if any, head coaches at Power Four programs are on as big a hot seat heading into the 2024 college football season as Arkansas’ Sam Pittman.

Pittman is entering his fifth season as Razorbacks coach after going 4-8 last season. Only one of those wins came in SEC play — against a Florida Gators program with their own embattled head coach entering the season in Billy Napier.

The Hogs are hoping for a turnaround in 2024. Boise State transfer Taylen Green will likely be the quarterback who replaces KJ Jefferson, and former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was brought in to run the offense.

Phil Steele recently made his projections for the 2024 SEC landscape, and unfortunately for Arkansas, it doesn’t look good.

Steele projects the Razorbacks to finish ahead of only two SEC programs — Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs have a first-year head coach (for the second season in a row) in Jeff Lebby, while Vanderbilt is coming off a 2-10 season that saw them go winless in conference play.

Per On3’s assessment of where Arkansas lands in Steele’s rankings:

“All eyes are on Fayetteville this year as Sam Pittman enters a crucial year at Arkansas. He moved on from offensive coordinator Dan Enos part-way through his first year with the Razorbacks, and the 2024 season could be important for Pittman’s future with the program.

KJ Jefferson is out after transferring to UCF, meaning it could be Taylen Green’s show at quarterback. Nonetheless, it’s looking like it could be another rough year for Arkansas, which came in at No. 14 in Phil Steele’s SEC predictions.”

The Razorbacks open their season against UAPB Thursday, August 29 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

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Alex Collins, Dave Van Horn on Arkansas’ 2024 Hall of Honor list

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn and the late Alex Collins are two of the nine Razorbacks greats who will be inducted into the school’s Hall of Honor in 2024.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn and eight former Razorbacks athletes across six sports are on the University of Arkansas’ 2024 Hall of Honor class.

An induction ceremony will be held at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville on Friday, September 13, the night before the Razorbacks play UAB at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium. The list of inductees was announced by the university late Tuesday.

Van Horn has been Arkansas’ baseball coach since 2003 and has led the school to seven College World Series and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances. Arkansas was the 2018 College World Series runner-up to Oregon State.

Among the eight former athletes who will be inducted into Arkansas’ 2024 Hall of Honor class is the late Alex Collins. Collins passed away at the age of 28 in 2023 and will be inducted posthumously.

Collins is second on the school’s all-time rushing list with 3,703 yards and 36 touchdowns in three seasons. A fifth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, Collins played in parts of five NFL seasons between 2016-21.

Other Razorback athletes set to be inducted are former quarterback Matt Jones (2001-04), linebacker Ravin Caldwell (1982-85), baseball pitcher David Walling (1998-99), men’s basketball guard Kareem Reid (1995-99), track and field star Matt Hemingway (1992-96), women’s basketball’s Wendi Willits (1997-2001) and softball’s Devon Wallace (2012-15).

Jones was the Razorbacks’ starter from 2002-04, leading Arkansas to two bowl games. Caldwell helped lead the Razorbacks to 32 wins in four seasons (1982-85) before going on to play for the NFL’s Washington Redskins. He was a member of Washington’s two Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1987-88 and 1991-92 NFL seasons.

Here is a full list of accomplishments of Arkansas’ Class of 2024 Hall of Honor inductees.

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Georgia recruit commits to Arkansas football

Peach State defensive end JaQuentin Madison committed to Arkansas over the weekend.

Georgia three-star defensive end recruit JaQuentin Madison committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday after an official visit to Fayetteville.

Madison, listed by 247Sports as 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, chose the Razorbacks over Missouri, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, SMU, NC State and others.

Like fellow class of 2025 defensive end recruit Keiundre Johnson, who also committed to Arkansas over the weekend, Madison was recruited by Razorbacks defensive line coach Deke Adams.

247Sports lists Johnson as the 120th best defensive lineman in the nation in their Composite Recruiting Rankings for the class of 2025.

Johnson played his junior season at Alpharetta High School in Georgia, where he had 75 tackles (10 for loss), nine sacks, a forced fumble, 17 hurries, two pass deflections and an interception return for a touchdown, according to WholeHogSports.

RELATED: Three-star Lone Star State DE chooses Arkansas over Texas, Texas A&M

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Three-star Lone Star State DE chooses Arkansas over Texas, Texas A&M

Class of 2025 edge rusher Keiundre Johnson announced his decision to play for Arkansas over the weekend.

Three-star defensive end/EDGE Keiundre Johnson committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks over the weekend.

Listed as 6-foot-4, 215 pounds by On3, Johnson chose the Razorbacks over a host of Texas schools, including the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M, SMU, as well as LSU and others.

On3 ranks Johnson as the 43rd overall edge rusher in the class of 2025, the 71st best player in Texas, and the 481st best player nationally. 247Sports lists Johnson as the 49th best edge rusher nationally.

Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams recruited Johnson to Fayetteville. Johnson is the 12th commitment in Sam Pittman’s class of 2025 recruits.

“The visit was amazing,” both On3 and 247Sports quotes Johnson as saying. “It was way more than I expected. I loved it a lot. I’ve got to talk to Coach Pittman here soon and will probably have some big news coming after that, but I loved it a lot.”

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Connor Howes is Arkansas’ second OL commit in as many days

Connor Howes is Arkansas’ first player rated higher than three stars in the 10-person class so far.

One day after Arkansas flipped a commit from Baylor to the Razorbacks, Sam Pittman and Co. grabbed another offensive line commitment in the Class of 2025.

Connor Howes, a four-star recruit from St. Cloud, Florida, became the 10th member of Arkansas’ class when he announced his commitment on Friday. Of the 10, three are offensive linemen, including Blake Cherry from Owasso, Oklahoma, and Kash Courtney from Carthage, Texas.

Arkansas’ class is now ranked 42nd in the country and 12th in the SEC, in front of Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi State. Kentucky and Florida each have more four-star commits than Arkansas, which only has one, but the lower number of overal commits keeps the Gators and Wildcats behind the Razorbacks for now. Howes is Arkansas’ lone four-star, though he is just a three-star in the 247Sports rankings.

When it comes to in-state recruiting, Arkansas has landed the fourth- and fifth-ranked players from the Natural State in the class. Two of the remaining three in the top five have not yet fully committed, though Carius Curne, from Marion, started with the Razorbacks before changing his mind for LSU. He is still taking recruiting trips elsewhere, however.

Arkansas flips offensive lineman commit from Baylor

Yikes. Arkansas’ Class of 2025 is now ranked 52nd in the country and 14th in SEC.

Sam Pittman and the Arkansas football program picked up their ninth commitment to the Class of 2025 this week when Kash Courtney decided to call Fayetteville home.

Courtney, a three-star recruit from Carthage, Texas, had been committed to Baylor. But he visited Arkansas at the beginning of June and was bowled over. He joins Blake Cherry, of Owasso, Oklahoma, as the two offensive linmen in the class.

Two of the eight other recruits currently in Arkansas’ class are in-state players: Quarterback Grayson Wilson of Conway and athlete Quentin Murphy of Little Rock Parkview.

The class could use some more spice in addition to quantity. Currently, the Hogs’ Class of 2025 is ranked 52nd in the nation and 14th out of 16 SEC teams.

Arkansas is projected to get one more offensive lineman to the group soon, most likely Connor Howes of Florida, another three-star player and one who visited with Courtney back in June.

Arkansas, Texas kickoff time is set for November 2024 meeting

The SEC announced approximate kickoff times for every other Arkansas that was not previously announced, too, save one.

Arkansas and Texas’ first game as SEC foes now has a kickoff time.

The Razorbacks and Longhorns will go at 11 a.m. on November 16 from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game is the first between the two schools as conference rivals since they were both in the Southwest Conference in 1991. Arkansas left for the SEC in 1992. The SWC combined with the Big 8 for play in 1996.

For those making plans for the rest of the season, some games have specific start times already set. Those that weren’t previously announced, have approximate times of day.

Arkansas will play Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the season opener at 6:30 p.m. in Little Rock on August 29. The Hogs play at Oklahoma State on September 7 at 11 a.m. And the Razorbacks play their first game in Fayetteville against Alabama-Birmingham at 3:15 on September 14.

Every other Arkansas game is listed as approximate, except for the team’s November 23 game against Louisiana Tech. Arkansas will choose what time that game begins.

As for the others, Arkansas’ game at Auburn on September 21 will either be in the afternoon or evening. The yearly game against Texas A&M in Arlington will be played in the afternoon of September 27. On October 8, the Hogs will host Tennessee in either the afternoon or night.

Following a bye week, Arkansas hosts LSU on October 19 at night, travels to Mississippi State for a early game on October and is back home for Ole Miss for another early game November 2 ahead of the meeting with Texas. The final game of the season, at Missouri, on November 30, will place in the afternoon.

Every Arkansas game will be on ESPN’s family of networks, which includes ABC, as part of a new agreement between the conference and the company.

Arkansas football lands potential replacement for Cam Little

The Razorbacks have themselves an All-American kicker on the roster now.

Not many jobs are left open for the Arkansas football team when it comes to starters. One just came out of nowhere, though.

All-American kicker Kyle Ramsey has joined the Razorbacks after transferring from Abilene Christian. He was 14 of 15 on field goals last year at the FCS level and his only miss came from beyond 50 yards. He otherwise made kicks of 55, 51 and two from 54 yards.

Arkansas lost Cam Little, who is tied for the third most field goals in Razorbacks history, to the NFL Draft. Little made 20 of 24 attempts last year and was one of two kickers taken in the draft earlier this year.

Matthew Shipley was Arkansas’ primary kicker during spring practice. Shipley transferred from Hawaii in the offseason. With the Rainbow Warriors in 2023, Shipley made 14 of 18 field goals. He could keep the job at Arkansas but Ramsey will provide plenty of competition.

Arkansas’ kickoff job is open, as well. Little handled those duties last year, but during his sophomore season, Vito Calvalruso was the kickoff man. Calvalruso transferred to Wisconsin for a season but has since returned to Fayetteville.

Kickoff times announced for early season Arkansas football games

The SEC announced kickoff times and the full television schedule for the first three weeks of the 2024 season Thursday. Here’s when Arkansas will kick off against Oklahoma State and UAB.

The Southeastern Conference announced kickoff times and the full television schedule for the first three weeks of the 2024 football season on Thursday at the league’s annual spring meetings in Florida.

Arkansas will get a national spotlight early in the season when it travels to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State on September 7. The Razorbacks’ Week 2 contest will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and be televised by ABC. It will mark Arkansas’ first appearance on ABC since 2014 when the Hogs traveled to Lubbock to play Texas Tech.

ABC is the new home for the SEC’s coveted 2:30 p.m. time slot after the league’s 18-year run with CBS ended. ABC still has rights to broadcast Big 12 games, which makes the early kickoff for Arkansas-Oklahoma State appetizing to both the network and the SEC. The Cowboys went 10-4 last season and beat Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Arkansas’ Week 3 matchup against UAB on September 14 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was announced as a 3:15 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised by SEC Network. The Blazers were 4-8 last season in the AAC under first-year head coach and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer.

And in a new scheduling wrinkle, the league announced Thursday that the annual Battle Line Rivalry between Arkansas and Missouri will no longer be played on Black Friday. The game is instead scheduled for Saturday, November 30.

The Razorbacks had been a Black Friday staple since joining the SEC in 1992. With the exception of the 2020 pandemic-altered season, the Hogs played the Tigers annually on Black Friday since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012. Prior to that, Arkansas had played LSU on the day after Thanksgiving.

Instead of Arkansas-Missouri, the SEC announced that the annual Egg Bowl rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State would take place on Black Friday this season, a shift from its usual Thanksgiving Night kickoff.

The Hogs’ season-opener against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock had already been announced as a 6:30 p.m. kickoff for Thursday, August 29. That game will be televised by ESPNU.

Arkansas’ 2024 scheduled kickoffs

  • Aug. 29 vs. UAPB (6:30 p.m., ESPNU)
  • Sept. 7 at Oklahoma State (11 a.m., ABC)
  • Sept. 14 vs. UAB (3:15 p.m., SEC Network)
  • Sept. 21 at Auburn (TBA)
  • Sept. 28 vs. Texas A&M (at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TBA)
  • Oct. 5 vs. Tennessee (TBA)
  • Oct. 12 BYE
  • Oct. 19 vs. LSU (TBA)
  • Oct. 26 at Mississippi State (TBA)
  • Nov. 2 vs. Ole Miss (TBA)
  • Nov. 9 IDLE
  • Nov. 16 vs. Texas (TBA)
  • Nov. 23 vs. Louisiana Tech (TBA)
  • Nov. 30 at Missouri (TBA)

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