History has taught us to be skeptical of a junior college player's ability to have a huge impact on a Division I team. Nevertheless, we here at Arkansas Expats Inc. can't help but really hope that John Pelphrey is able to sign power forward Ricardo Ratliffe, widely considered to be the top JC player in the land.
Ratliffe, who is reportedly good friends with Marshawn Powell, has taken official visits to Clemson, Alabama and Arkansas, and is slated to visit Missouri and Cincinnati in the coming weeks. According to our SB Nation colleagues at Roll Bama Roll, Ratliffe has listed Clemson, the Crimson Tide and the Hogs as his top three choices, but that was before Oliver Purnell announced he was leaving Clemson. So maybe the Razorbacks' chances have improved ever so slightly.
The signing period begins one week from today, so Ricardo should be arriving at his decision fairly soon. I certainly hope so - camping out in front of his junior college dorm is starting to get old. And passersby are giving me the strangest looks.
BREATHLESS UPDATE: Per Central Florida's Twitter feed, Ratliffe is no longer considering Clemson (nor is he considering DePaul, where Purnell is now the coach).