Recruiting Tidbits: Razorback Football

The 2022 instate crop of talent for Arkansas could be the deepest there has been since 2015. With the ongoing pandemic and no on campus or in home visits with prospects it has made it difficult to recruit unless you’re one of the established College Football Playoff teams.

Sam Pittman and his staff have done well in recruiting despite the limitations and handcuffs that have bonded them. Similar to 2015, the 2022 class has a lot of talent at multiple positions and those crucial to the success of the Arkansas football team. With a huge group of Arkansas kids having a virtual visit with the Razorback coaching staff it will bode well in the Razorbacks landing each of their services.

Starting off with the interior units of the Razorback team, Arkansas has brought in a good crop of talent along the defensive line in recent seasons. However, most of the ones on campus are from out of state. With Greenland’s JJ Hollingsworth who committed to the Razorbacks early on during the pandemic, it gave the Hogs a boost and their first commitment of the 2022 class. He has great athletic ability combined with solid speed off the edge. A little time in the weight room under strength and conditioning coach, Jamil Walker, Hollingsworth could be a steal for this class.

Maumelle has a really good defensive tackle in this class, too. Nico Davillier (6’3 280) could be a solid contributor to anchor the middle of the defensive line in the future. However, Arkansas will have to fight regional opponents Oklahoma, Tennessee and Missouri for his services. Many have told me though, if he gets an offer from LSU he would likely take it. His family is originally from the New Orleans area and had to move due to Hurricane Katrina. Watch out for Davillier. I expect his recruiting to heat up in the coming months.

Along the offensive line are two big time four-star prospects that are likely to don the cardinal and white. Andrew Chamlee and E’Marrion Harris are both from the central Arkansas area with many big offers from Power-Five schools. You don’t usually see freshman come in and play right away but both of these players have what it takes. Arkansas is also losing several seniors after next season on the offensive line so early playing time could be a possibility for these two.

At receiver there are a couple of top players in the state in Quincey McAdoo and Isaiah Sategna who both have Arkansas offers. Early on, McAdoo seemed to be an Arkansas lock but with Florida State’s Mike Norvell having ties to the state, he was able to steal him from Arkansas. There’s still plenty of time for the Razorback staff to catch up and land him for 2022. Sategna’s father is on the coaching staff for the track and field team at the University of Arkansas so there is a chance he becomes a Hog. However, he could opt to play out of state somewhere. With recruiting changing by the second these days things could definitely change. Expect South Carolina to pursue him with former Razorback wide receiver coach, Justin Stepp, being on the Carolina staff now.

There’s also quite a few running backs in the state to take a hard look at. One that I think is very underrated would be Joe Himon out of Pulaski Academy. A kid with solid speed and big play ability at any moment would be a huge get for Arkansas. Himon has a couple of power-five offers including Kansas and Louisville. In 2020, Himon recorded 1925 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground at an average of 10.2 yards per carry. Through the air he caught 80 passes for 1068 yards and another 9 touchdowns. That’s nearly 3,000 yards of total offense for a player in the 5A classification in Arkansas. Look, he’s a take any day, in my opinion. Travelle Anderson and James Jointer are two other instate running backs that could be SEC level players. Jointer of Little Rock Parkview is solid between the tackles with good speed. He had a solid season in 2020 coming off a sophomore year where he tore his ACL. Jointer should be fully healthy for the 2021 season. Anderson is a straight burner for Blytheville.

I’m not sure if Arkansas will take all three backs but it will be something to watch in the coming months.

The state has at least one linebacker for the 2022 class in Kaiden Turner of Fayetteville. Many folks including Danny West compare his size.... and looks to that of Brooks Ellis. With several senior linebackers coming back and Bumper Pool going into his senior season Turner will likely be a take for Arkansas. They will probably also need to look for players in the transfer portal, too, to build depth at a position that will be losing a lot of talent and experience after next season.

Committed:

Tight End: Dax Courtney 6’6 210

Defensive end: JJ Hollingsworth 6’3 245