Having missed out on Walker White for 2024, Arkansas football is making an effort not to whiff on in-state quarterbacks in the following class.
The Razorbacks extended an offer to Central Arkansas Christian Class of 2025 quarterback Grayson Wilson during his visit to Fayetteville for a Prospect Day over the weekend.
Head coach Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Dan Enos gave him his second FBS offer. The Razorbacks joined Illinois and were quickly followed by Pittsburgh. Central Arkansas, an FCS program, has also offered.
“Getting the offer, especially here in Arkansas (and) knowing that Coach Enos and Coach Pittman want me to be their quarterback for the Class of 2025 really makes me feel special,” Wilson said. “I was very excited.”
As a sophomore, Wilson completed 143 of 245 (58.4%) passes for 1,737 yards and 19 touchdowns, plus added another 530 yards and seven scores on 84 carries. That means he averaged 226.7 total yards and 2.6 touchdowns.
The Fighting Illini, who are led by head coach Bret Bielema and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., actually offered Wilson last summer, even before UCA. His Arkansas and Pittsburgh offers both came on Saturday.
Although he’s still unrated by the major recruiting services, which haven’t fully expanded their 2025 databases yet, Wilson is the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the country, according to QB Hit List.
“I feel like I’m a great athlete — 6-3, 185, good dual threat,” Wilson said. “Coach talked about I had a good deep ball. He said I was smooth and had good mechanics. He said he hadn’t seen me throw in person, but had seen me in camp and I was smooth with it. I have good footwork.”
Wilson said he’ll be back in Fayetteville at some point for a spring practice, which begin Thursday, and will visit Notre Dame for its spring game on April 22. The Fighting Irish have yet to offer, but are recruiting him heavily.
The Razorbacks previously offered Quentin Murphy, who plays quarterback for Joe T. Robinson but is listed by several outlets as an “athlete,” in the 2025 class. His offer came last summer, but he has also been on campus since Enos was hired in January. Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and several others have also offered him.
The only other 2025 in-state prospect the Razorbacks have offered so far is Little Rock Parkview safety Omarion Robinson, who was also in Fayetteville over the weekend. He is considered a top-100 recruit in the class and has numerous big-time offers, including Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, USC and others.
Check out some highlights of Grayson Wilson:
Top-3 Recruit Visits Arkansas Football
Despite not including them in his top 15 at the beginning of the year, five-star athlete KJ Bolden’s first trip this month was to check out the Razorbacks. He is the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Playing on both sides of the ball at Buford High School in Georgia, Bolden is widely viewed as a defensive back — he’s the No. 1 safety in the country, according to 247Sports and On3 — but could also play wide receiver at the next level.
His connection to Arkansas is via the defensive side of the ball, as new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Marcus Woodson was recruiting him while at Florida State. Woodson already has a reputation as an excellent recruiter and showed off those skills by getting Bolden to visit, even if the Razorbacks are a long shot — at best — to land his services.
Hogs Trying to Flip LSU Commit
He has been committed to LSU since last summer, but Xavier Atkins seems to be having wandering eyes as the 2024 recruiting cycle heats up. Arkansas football has thrown its hat into the ring and this weekend seems to have positioned itself for a potential flip.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’s changed his mind either. Atkins, a four-star prospect ranked as high as No. 63 nationally by Rivals, was previously committed to Missouri for about 4.5 months. He has also changed high schools, playing at Jonesboro-Hodge in Louisiana before moving to Summer Creek High School in Humble, Texas, for his senior year.
Following his time in Fayetteville, the outside linebacker tweeted that he loved the coaching staff and that it “felt like home” while promising he’d be back, but he’s since deleted the tweet. He has left the following tweet up, though:
However, Arkansas isn’t alone in its efforts to flip Atkins. He is still tweeting out offers, which has included Miami (Fla.), TCU, Utah, Colorado, Penn State, Texas A&M, Baylor, Arkansas and a handful of Group of Five schools in the past two months alone.
Atkins visited Texas A&M in January and has already announced he’ll visit Colorado for its spring game on April 22. The Aggies could get another visit, as well as Miami and Tennessee, in the coming months, according to Hogville’s Otis Kirk.
New On3 Top 300 Rankings for 2024
The newest of the major recruiting services, On3 released its updated top 300 for the Class of 2024 and the Natural State was well represented, landing four prospects on the list.
Arkansas’ top recruit, according to On3, is Little Rock Mills defensive end Charleston Collins, who checks in at No. 121. He’s followed by Valley View linebacker Brian Huff at No. 164, Little Rock Christian quarterback Walker White at No. 181 and Benton running back Braylen Russell at No. 287.
One of those prospects was in town for Saturday’s Prospect Day, as Huff made another trek to Fayetteville. The last time he was on campus was for the Alabama and South Carolina games last season, so this gave him a chance to meet new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Travis Williams and the rest of the new-look defensive staff.
“I’ve been talking to them a lot, but I loved meeting them in person,” Huff said. “I love them; they are real cool. … I think Coach Williams is a good coach. I like the way he coaches. He’s real cool.”
Huff will head north to visit Missouri next weekend and also plans to visit Notre Dame either this month or next. He continues to gain momentum on the recruiting trail, picking up offers from Notre Dame, UNLV, Houston, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Kansas State in the past two months. Several other schools, such as Arkansas, LSU and Missouri, had previously offered.
Those are the only four in-state prospects inside On3’s top 300, but Malvern offensive lineman is a four-star prospect, while Bryant defensive lineman TJ Lindsey and Pine Bluff athlete Courtney Crutchfield are just outside of the four-star range with 89 grades. Bentonville wide receiver CJ Brown and Fort Smith Southside offensive lineman Kobe Branham are also on the higher end of the three-star range with 87 grades. Among that group, Brown was also in town for the Prospect Day.
It is also worth noting that Leeds, Ala., defensive end Kavion Henderson, the Razorbacks’ lone commitment in the 2024 class so far, is just a high three-star recruit on On3, checking in at No. 30 in the Alabama state rankings. He is a top-200 prospect on all of the other services and ranked as high as No. 51 overall by ESPN.
New Offers for Arkansas Football
The Razorbacks had numerous talented recruits in town for Prospect Day this weekend and several returned home with a new offer. Here’s a look at several of them:
Jaden Allen is a four-star cornerback from Aledo, Texas, who is ranked No. 262 overall in the 2024 class in the 247Sports Composite. Alabama, LSU, Texas, USC and several others have also offered.
DJ Dugar is a running back at Glenn High School in Leander, Texas, in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect is unrated by the major recruiting services, but he reports a 4.52-second 40-yard dash time and was previously offered by Oklahoma State in November.
Another 2025 recruit, Juju Marks is a large (6-foot-7, 260 pounds) defensive lineman at St. Thomas Aquinas in the Kansas City area. Despite being unrated, he has nine Power Five offers — mostly from schools in the midwest.
Dilan Battle is also very large, listed at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, and is a defensive tackle at Mansfield Timberview in Arlington, Texas. The 2025 prospect has seen his recruiting explode over the past month, picking up offers from Miami (Fla.), Texas, Michigan and Texas A&M.
Named a Freshman All-American by MaxPreps, Jackson Cantwell is a 2026 offensive lineman from Nixa, Mo., which is just a couple of hours northeast of Fayetteville. He has a massive 6-foot-8, 275-pound frame, plus reports a 33 ACT score. Kansas State, Missouri, Texas A&M, Kansas, UNLV and Miami (Fla.) have also offered.
Another member of the MaxPreps Freshman All-America team, Tay Lockett is a 2026 athlete at University City High School in San Diego, but he does have a connection to the state through his mother. Georgia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas A&M and several others have also offered.
Other Visitors, but Not Offered
Jonathan Kabeya is a cornerback at Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club, Texas. The 2024 prospect has offers from Arizona State, Texas Tech, BYU and Texas State.
Another cornerback from Texas, Dakories Moment plays at Brewer High School in Fort Worth. He is also a 2024 prospect and his lone offer is from UNLV.
Arkansas Basketball Visitors
The football team wasn’t the only program with five-star recruits on campus. Arkansas basketball had a pair on hand for its disappointing loss to Kentucky, including 2023 signee Baye Fall.
He’s already inked to play for the Razorbacks, but Class of 2024 guard David Castillo is still on the market. The Bartlesville, Okla., native was back in town after previously taking an unofficial visit in September.
Castillo, who also attended the Arkansas-Oklahoma game in Tulsa on Dec. 10, is a five-star recruit and ranked No. 21 overall in the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked as high as No. 12 by ESPN.
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