Ryan Silverfield made an in-state Sunday splash for Arkansas football with the addition of defensive tackle Eli Thornton in the Class of 2027.
The Valley View product has yet to take his official visit to Fayetteville, which is scheduled for June 19-21. However, he took one unofficially back in early March and earned an offer from the team he grew up watching.
“We were welcomed with open arms and just felt really wanted there,” Thornton told Best of Arkansas Sports. “When Coach Silverfield offered me, it was a great feeling.”
Since March, though, Thornton visited campus two more times in April, including to watch the Razorbacks spring game on Saturday, which had over 80 prospects in attendance. Less than 24 hours later, the 6-foot-3, 315-pounder officially called the Hogs.
Thornton is the fourth-best prospect in the Natural State and a three-star recruit, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. He held offers from Wisconsin. Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Mississippi State and more — including former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema, now in charge at Illinois.
Eli Thornton Chooses Arkansas Over Illinois
Since he was unceremoniously fired in the tunnels of Razorback Stadium, Bielema found himself back in the Midwest after a short stint with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick, who seems to be a big fan of former Arkansas head coaches.
Now, leading Illinois, he’s completely turned the program around. The Fighting Illini have won 19 games in the last two seasons, including bowl victories in each campaign. Bielema’s staff has had a distinct Arkansas flavor, as well, with former players like Grant Morgan and Santos Ramirez populating his coaching staff.
That’s something Eli Thornton saw during his multiple trips to Champaign, Ill.
He first traveled to the Prairie State at the beginning of April, meeting with Bielema as well as the rest of the staff. Thornton came away very impressed with the former Head Hog, calling him “one of the best head coaches I’ve met.”
Two weeks later, Thornton made another trip — his first official visit.
“Everybody that’s in the program takes such pride and you can tell that they love what they do and they’re passionate,” Thornton told the Illini Inquirer. “I feel like that plays a big part into how the program has been so successful in these past couple years.”
By the time he left, Thornton considered the Illini one of his top choices. Still, even as a defensive-minded coach who famously loves the trenches, Bielema couldn’t snag Arkansas’ highest-rated defensive tackle away from the Razorbacks.
