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Want to take a rest after Signing Day? Start focusing on the quarterback battle in spring practice, the close of basketball and the start of baseball? Pssh. There are kids out there waiting to be stalked on Twitter and if we don't do it, other SEC teams will, and that's no good.
Where Arkansas Is
The good news is that Arkansas is off to an unusually great start on the the 2015 class. The Razorbacks head into the year ranked #7 in the nation with five commitments already, four of which are composite 4* players on 247, and the fifth is a 4* on some services.
Of course, team rankings this early are pretty silly considering the vast, vast majority of recruits have yet to commit anywhere, but it's nice to know Arkansas is starting well. Four composite 4* players is equal to what Arkansas pulled in for the entire 2014 class, so yes, it's reason for optimism.
The top rated player on Arkansas' list is defensive tackle Hjalte (pronounced "Yelda" like "Zelda") Froholdt, who, along with defensive end Jamario Bell (Junction City, AR), set the Hogs up nicely to join Bijhon Jackson and company in a few years.
The class's quarterback is Ty Storey from Charleston, Arkansas. Storey's recruitment blew up last summer and included offers from Alabama and Auburn, but committed to Arkansas, laying the foundation for what could end up being a pretty interesting quarterback depth chart in a couple of years between himself, Rafe Peavey, Austin Allen, and Damon Mitchell. That'll be fun to watch.
Of course, I think we can expect top quality offensive linemen at this point and Bielema's on track to keep that up. Zach Rogers is a highly-touted guard from Carrollton, Texas, although he did tear his ACL just before the 2013 season and missed his junior year of play. Of course, we hope his rehab is going well and that he bounces back better than before. Colton Jackson from Conway will be joining him.
It's expected to be a banner year for in-state recruits, and Arkansas does have offers out to others, such as North Little Rock wide receiver K.J. Hill (a Joe Adams type) and Pine Bluff tight end Will Gragg (presumably a Chris Gragg type). Others could earn offers as well.
2015 Positions Of Need
Arkansas only took one running back and one tight end in 2014 (not coincidentally, the positions in which the best young Razorbacks play) so look for the Hogs to target those positions more strongly this year. Bielema and Arkansas both have excellent track records for running backs, so I think fans should have high expectations for that position. Will Gragg would be a great tight end pick up, as he's already collected offers from elite schools.
On defense, linebacker and safety remain a concern. Arkansas signed four cornerbacks in 2014 but only Joshua Liddell is listed on their chart as a safety. The Hogs need better safeties, period. That doesn't mean somebody or two won't emerge this year to solidify that position a little, but Arkansas definitely needs more of them.
At linebacker, Arkansas lost a few of them after the 2013 season, and while they do have some talent in Brooks Ellis and Otha Peters, depth at the position is incredibly thin. The Hogs signed three in 2014, so hopefully they'll have a positive impact pretty quickly.
The Hogs also need to sign some quality defensive linemen, but as we noted, they've already got a couple of good ones committed. But, as always, WANT MORE.
So there you have it. Make sure you keep up with our 2015 recruiting stream that we'll keep updated throughout the year. Get to work, coaches!
