After a few quiet days on the recruiting trail, things heated back up for Arkansas with the commitment of Jayvon Gilmore on Thursday.
The Class of 2026 three-star quarterback from Gaffney, S.C., announced his pledge to the Razorbacks via Twitter, choosing them from a group of finalists that also included Louisville, North Carolina State, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 195 pounds, Gilmore is rated as a high three-star prospect and the No. 18 overall quarterback in the class by 247Sports. However, in the 247Sports Composite, which combines all of the major recruiting services, he’s a mid-tier three star and the No. 37 quarterback.
The Razorbacks are up to three commitments in the 2026 class now, as he joins defensive back Tay Lockett from California and offensive lineman Tucker Young out of Hot Springs Lakeside.
They are hoping to add another big-time player to that list at 5 p.m. CT Saturday, when four-star defensive end Colton Yarbrough announces his decision from a top five that features Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma State. He is the No. 1 rising junior in Oklahoma.
As things currently stand, Arkansas’ three-man class ranks 23rd nationally on 247Sports and 25th nationally on Rivals.
Trickle-Down Effect for Arkansas, Kane Archer
For those who follow high school football or recruiting in Arkansas, the commitment of Jayvon Gilmore may come as bit of a surprise because he’s a quarterback in the 2026 class.
Many had hoped the Razorbacks would secure the top in-state signal caller for that class, as Kane Archer plays about an hour south of Fayetteville in the football factory that is Greenwood.
He burst onto the national scene when he picked up major offers from Missouri, Michigan and Arkansas as an eighth grader and, even though his stock seems to have fallen some, he’s still considered a four-star prospect. In fact, most services have him ranked higher among quarterbacks than Gilmore.
In an interview on The Morning Rush, Archer even mentioned that the “relationship’s doing really well” with Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
However, there has been some foreshadowing that he wouldn’t be the first 2026 quarterback to commit to Arkansas — which means he likely won’t end up playing for the Razorbacks, as most schools take only one quarterback in each class.
The first clue was that Arkansas has yet to offer his older brother, Cash Archer, in the 2025 class.
Their father has been vocal about how much that would boost the Razorbacks’ chances in landing Kane Archer. He’s also been openly understanding of the hesitation, as Sam Pittman and his staff probably want to see Cash play linebacker this year after primarily being an edge rusher last season.
Of course, if Arkansas really wanted the younger brother, it could have easily pulled the trigger on an offer to the older brother by now — especially with increased scholarship limits coming.
Another comment Kane Archer made during his interview a few hours before Jayvon Gilmore announced his pledge, though, provided some more potential foreshadowing into why the Razorbacks haven’t been as aggressive as some may have hoped.
Gilmore Continues Emerging Trend with Bobby Petrino
Arkansas football fans who were around during Bobby Petrino’s tenure as head coach certainly remember his first star quarterback. The late Ryan Mallett put up numbers never before seen in Fayetteville during his two years as the starting quarterback, culminating in a 10-win season and trip to the Sugar Bowl.
One thing that stood out about him, other than his cannon of an arm, was the fact that he was exceptionally tall. In fact, he had to fight a public perception that he was too tall, making sure to tell anyone and everyone who would listen that he was 6-foot-6 and not 6-foot-7.
Mallett’s NFL career might not have panned out, but there’s no denying the success he had with Petrino calling the plays from 2009-10.
Although he later had a quarterback win the Heisman Trophy — Lamar Jackson (6-foot-2) — it appears Mallett’s legacy may have had a lasting impact on Petrino, as he now seems to be looking for other quarterbacks closer to his size, albeit maybe a little more mobile.
In his lone season as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator, Petrino secured a commitment from Miles O’Neill, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and still signed with the Aggies despite their coaching change.
Once he was hired by Sam Pittman to be Arkansas’ offensive coordinator, Petrino was tasked with finding a quarterback in the transfer portal and eventually landed the 6-foot-6 Taylen Green from Boise State.
He also signed off on still bringing in KJ Jackson (6-foot-4) and added Coastal Carolina transfer Blake Boda (6-foot-4), who was once briefly committed to him at UNLV. The Razorbacks’ 2025 quarterback commit, Grayson Wilson, isn’t super tall, but the in-state product is still listed at 6-foot-3.
Even though Petrino enjoyed quite a bit of success with Jackson at Louisville and even Jason Shelley (5-foot-11) at Missouri State, it has become clear that he prefers his quarterbacks on the taller side and Jayvon Gilmore certainly checks that box at 6-foot-6.
One reason for that could be that basic physics tell us taller players have a higher ceiling when it comes to how hard they can throw the ball. There are exceptions, of course, but that’s even the case in baseball — think Randy Johnson (6-foot-10) or Paul Skenes (6-foot-6).
That may be something at play with Kane Archer, who is listed at 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-0.5, depending on where you look online, and has even admitted that his velocity is something that’s come up in discussions with the likes of Petrino, Lincoln Riley, Lane Kiffin and others.
It’s been a point of emphasis for him this summer as he’s trained under QB gurus Jeff Christensen and Jared Park alongside some NFL quarterbacks in Dallas.
“Velocity is probably the biggest thing,” Archer said on The Morning Rush. “I’ve been training with Trey Lance down there (and) Aidan McConnell, and that’s a big thing. Over the past, I want to say 2-3 months, I’ve changed my throwing motion a lot.
“I’m more in my leg instead of using all my arm, and I haven’t thrown this good in my life. I used to have arm pain for days upon end and I couldn’t throw. I’d be like, ‘Coach, I can’t throw today, man. My arm is gone.’ And now I can sit here and throw for 6-7 days a week and not have any pain at all. So it’s a big difference.”
Archer certainly isn’t doomed because of his size — just look at guys like Drew Brees and Baker Mayfield — but he probably has to work at that area of his game a little bit harder than the big-bodied quarterbacks Petrino seems to prefer now.
Jayvon Gilmore vs. Kane Archer
Here’s how the two 2026 quarterbacks, Arkansas football commit Jayvon Gilmore and Arkansas native Kane Archer, compare on all of the recruiting websites:
| Recruiting Site | Jayvon Gilmore | Kane Archer |
|---|---|---|
| 247Sports | 3-star (89) No. 18 QB | 3-star (85) No. 49 QB |
| ESPN | Not rated | 3-star (NR) n/a |
| On3 | 3-star (87) No. 31 QB | 3-star (89) No. 187 overall / No. 12 QB |
| Rivals | 3-star (5.5) n/a | 4-star (5.8) No. 242 overall / No. 6 DT QB |
| 247Sports Composite* | 3-star (0.8680) No. 465 overall / No. 37 QB | 4-star (0.8969) No. 308 overall / No. 19 QB |
| On3 Industry Ranking* | 3-star (85.60) No. 466 overall / No. 36 QB | 3-star (87.56) No. 333 overall / No. 21 QB |
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Check out some highlights of 2026 Arkansas football commit Jayvon Gilmore:
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Make sure to listen to the whole Kane Archer interview below.
5:00: On spending time with Tyler Wilson:
8:00: On relationship with Bobby Petrino
17:00 On Cash Archer breaking the state’s all-time tackling record
18:30 On looking up to Peyton Holt growing up
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More on Arkansas football and Kane Archer:
