A Slight Drinkwitz-Losing-to-Arkansas Trend Emerges with Hogs’ Latest Commitment

Sam Pittman, Ari Slocum, Eli Drinkwitz, Arkansas football, Arkansas vs Missouri
photo credit: Craven Whitlow / Twitter/Ari Slocum / Craven Whitlow

Arkansas may have a hard time beating Missouri on the field, but it got the better of its Battle Line rival Monday afternoon with the commitment of Ari Slocum.

The Class of 2026 defensive tackle from Louisiana chose the Razorbacks from a final three that also included the Tigers and Houston. He had offers from Purdue, Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech and Troy, as well.

Checking in at 6-foot-4, 307 pounds, Slocum primarily played offense for Union Parish High in Farmerville, La., but is expected to be more of a true two-way player at the Class 2A school in 2025.

Despite having a pair of SEC offers, he’s flown relatively under-the-radar. The only recruiting service that has him rated is 247Sports, who tabbed him a mid-tier three-star prospect with an 84 grade.

Slocum is the ninth member of Arkansas’ 2026 recruiting class, which entered the day ranked No. 6 and No. 9 nationally by 247Sports and Rivals, respectively.

Of course, that top-10 ranking could mostly be attributed to the Razorbacks having more commitments than most schools at this point of the 2026 cycle. Only Oregon and Texas A&M have more, with 10 apiece.

According to the On3 Industry Ranking — which not only combines all of the major services, but also factors in the average class size at any given point — Arkansas sits at No. 16.

The Recruitment of Ari Slocum

While he had a top three that included Houston, the race for Ari Slocum appeared to be more of a battle between Arkansas and Missouri.

The Tigers were actually his first offer, extending one a few days before they beat the Razorbacks 28-21 in the regular-season finale, and Slocum developed a good relationship with Missouri defensive line coach Al Davis.

It wasn’t until earlier this month that he was able to make it up to Columbia, Mo., for a junior day. Not only did he get to watch part of Missouri’s win over Arkansas in basketball, but Slocum also met the Tigers’ other defensive line coach, Brian Early.

Both assistants have notable ties to the Natural State, with Davis being a former team captain of the Razorbacks and Early being a Monticello native with numerous coaching stops within the state.

A week before visiting Missouri for the first time, though, Slocum made his second trip to Fayetteville. Having also been in town for the Louisiana Tech game in November, he was still in search of an offer from the Razorbacks. He returned home with one, receiving it during junior day.

When he left the Tigers’ junior day on Jan. 18, Slocum told Mizzou Today — the Missouri site on Rivals — that his recruitment was “neck and neck” between Arkansas and Missouri.

Missouri may have had the advantage of offering him earlier, but Slocum said Arkansas made up for it during his most recent visit.

“Fayetteville is a beautiful place and they also made my mother love it,” Slocum told Pig Trail Nation. “She always talked to me about Arkansas, Arkansas, I think you should go to Arkansas.”

Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams has proven to be one of the Razorbacks’ best recruiters the last couple of years and he’s done it in a variety of ways.

To land coveted defensive tackle transfer David Oke, he connected the young entrepreneur with a local businessman to help him with his growing clothing line – something that would have been impossible pre-NIL. His pursuit of Slocum was a bit more traditional, as he got the upper hand by winning over his mother.

Slocum’s mother, Tirshatha Harper, described Adams as “very direct” and seems comfortable with sending her son off to college to learn under him.

“He lets you know what’s going to be expected of you,” Harper told Pig Trail Nation. “The fact that he cares about you on and off the field sticks out the most that he also cares about his growth and development, not only as a football player, but becoming a young man. So that’s very important.”

A New Arkansas vs Missouri Trend Emerging

Landing any recruit is typically cause for celebration among Arkansas football fans, but it’s especially big when the Razorbacks beat out a rival for said player.

While many fans are still resistant to calling it such, Arkansas vs Missouri has evolved into a true rivalry – with the likes of Eli Drinkwitz stoking the flames.

Much to the chagrin of Razorback fans, the Tigers have pretty much held the upper hand since they joined the SEC. Not only have they won nine of 11 matchups, but they have also had success coming south and landing some of the top high school players from Arkansas.

Just last month, four-star defensive end Anthony Kennedy Jr. – who is transferring from Maumelle to Little Rock Central – committed to the Tigers over the Razorbacks and countless other Power Four offers.

Since then, though, Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks have fired back and things are starting to ever-so-slightly trend back their way.

It started with one of those high school standouts leaving Missouri for the transfer portal and ending up coming home. Courtney Crutchfield is expected to compete for immediate playing time after redshirting for the Tigers as a freshman this past season.

Best of Arkansas Sports has also learned that Kennedy, despite his pledge to Missouri, still plans to take an official visit to Fayetteville. That leaves the door open for a potential flip.

Two incidents like that may be a coincidence, but three – which came in the form of Ari Slocum picking the Razorbacks over the Tigers – can be considered a trend.

What it Means for Arkansas Football

At least on paper, it seems as though the Razorbacks are getting a raw prospect with a lot of potential.

What coaches at both Arkansas and Missouri like about Ari Slocum is his athleticism, coupled with his size. Not only is he 6-foot-4, 307 pounds, but he has long arms. He told Pig Trail Nation that he has an 82- or 83-inch wingspan, which is six or seven inches longer than he is tall.

During his recruitment, Al Davis even mentioned the possibility of using Slocum in short-yardage situations on offense. After all, he registered 42 pancake blocks – in addition to catching 5 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown – as a tight end last season.

Slocum’s goal in 2025 is “to prove myself” on the defensive side of the ball, where he played sparingly and made only three tackles as a junior. In theory, that lack of experience means he has a very high ceiling in college because he has so much to learn at the position, especially coming from a smaller high school.

Rising redshirt sophomore Ian Geffrard is a similar example. While he was much larger and needed to lose weight upon arriving at Arkansas, he was a two-way player at a smaller high school in football-rich Georgia who – despite a mid-tier three-star rating – impressed coaches with his athleticism.

He’s played limited snaps the last two years, but Geffrard has shown flashes that he could develop into a solid defensive tackle for the Razorbacks, posting a 66.5 PFF grade on 191 defensive snaps this past season.

They’ve had success with other defensive tackles who were underrated out of high school, as well, including Jonathan Marshall, Armon Watts and John Ridgeway.

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Watch Ari Slocum’s full interview with Pig Trail Nation, which aired the day before he committed to Arkansas football:

YouTube video

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