It’s shaping up to be another big recruiting weekend for Arkansas football.
The Razorbacks are welcoming nine prospects to Fayetteville for official visits beginning Friday. Two of them are already committed, but they hope to grow that number by the time they all return home.
So far this month, three of Arkansas’ official visitors have announced their intent to play for the Razorbacks. That includes one 2023 prospect and two in the current 2024 class.
Without further ado, here’s a quick overview of the official visitors for the weekend of June 16-18, according to 247Sports’ visits page…
Commits Visiting This Weekend (June 16-18)
CB Jaden Allen — Aledo (Texas)
247Sports: 3-star (88 grade) | ESPN: 3-star (78 grade) | On3: 3-star (87 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.8 rating)
247Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8855), No. 516 overall, No. 49 CB
On3 Consensus: 3-star (88.15), No. 554 overall, No. 58 CB
ATH Juju Pope — South Panola (Batesville, Miss.)
247Sports: 4-star (90 grade) | ESPN: 3-star (79 grade) | On3: 3-star (89 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.8 rating)
247Sports Composite: 4-star (0.8958), No. 372 overall, No. 32 LB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (89.46), No. 356 overall, No. 36 LB
The Razorbacks are welcoming back two of their 2024 commitments for official visits this weekend and both of them are four-star recruits.
JuJu Pope, who announced his decision on April 8, turned down offers from the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Louisville and Oregon. Listed as an athlete by some services, he is expected to be a linebacker for the Razorbacks, but he could also play running back and some speculate that he could evolve into a defensive back in college.
Jaden Allen committed a couple weeks later, on April 21. He also had an offer from the Crimson Tide and even included them among his top three, along with Tennessee and Arkansas. Once committed to Texas himself, his older brother was a freshman for the Longhorns last season.
Both players will be extra recruiters on what looks like a loaded weekend of official visitors.
💪🏾😎🐗 pic.twitter.com/TCrZjTijht
— Jaden Allen (@MrChip06) June 8, 2023
Uncommitted Arkansas Football Visitors (June 16-18)
Selman Bridges — Lake Belton (Temple, Texas)
247Sports: 4-star (95 grade) | ESPN: 4-star (85 grade) | On3: 4-star (94 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.9 rating)
247Sports Composite: 4-star (0.9705), No. 56 overall, No. 6 CB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (94.92), No. 46 overall, No. 5 CB
The headliner of this weekend’s official visitors is Selman Bridges. The cornerback out of Lake Belton High in Temple, Texas, is a top-100 recruit on 247Sports, ESPN and On3, and is ranked as high as No. 46 overall.
According to his 247Sports profile, Arkansas is the second of three official visits he has planned in June, as he’s previously been to TCU and will be at Texas next weekend.
Those three schools make up a third of his top nine released on May 11, which also includes Oregon, USC, LSU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. That means five of his top nine are either current or future SEC schools.
As a junior, the 6-foot-3, 170-pound cornerback made 46 tackles and had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. He also plays basketball and is on the track team.
Stock Up 📈
— Rivals (@Rivals) May 22, 2023
Four ⭐️ DB Selman Bridges (@iamtherea1one) is one of the top prospects in the county
Not many can hold Micah Hudson every day in practice 👀
Current contenders include Texas, USC, Arkansas, TCU to name a few pic.twitter.com/Az3ZxpkbPI
OL/DT William Echoles — Houston (Miss.)
247Sports: 3-star (87 grade) | ESPN: N/A | On3: 3-star (88 grade) | Rivals: 3-star (5.6 rating)
247Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8750), No. 702 overall, No. 42 IOL
On3 Consensus: 3-star (86.83), No. 811 overall, No. 63 IOL
The Razorbacks have been making a strong push into Mississippi this class, with William Echoles — a two-way lineman from Houston, Miss. — being the latest to officially visit Fayetteville.
Landing him won’t be easy, as he recently narrowed down his options to six schools and Arkansas was one of five from the SEC, along with Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri and Ole Miss. The lone non-SEC school on his list is Tulane.
The good news for Arkansas is that Echoles released that list on June 4 — just three days after receiving his offer from the Razorbacks. Of course, Auburn seems to be in a good spot because his official visit to the Plains last week was just a few days after he attended a camp there.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State are likely serious contenders, too, because those are the two in-state schools. Missouri will also have a chance to climb the pecking order when he officially visits there next week.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, Echoles could be an interior offensive lineman or defensive tackle in college. He’s classified as the former on most recruiting services, but considering his main recruiter is defensive line coach Deke Adams, Arkansas may be looking at him for the latter.
CB Chris Johnson II — Aledo (Texas)
247Sports: 3-star (88 grade) | ESPN: N/A | On3: 4-star (90 grade) | Rivals: 3-star (5.7 rating)
247Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8877), No. 479 overall, No. 45 CB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (89.24), No. 383 overall, No. 42 CB
A teammate of cornerback commit Jaden Allen, Chris Johnson II is considered a high three-star recruit by most services, but On3 does classify him as a four-star.
The Razorbacks are the only SEC school in his top six, which he released on May 20. Half of the schools are out west in the Pac-12 — Arizona State, Oregon and Utah — and the others are Louisville and SMU.
He took an official visit to Arizona State last weekend and was apparently in Eugene, Ore., a few days before that, but his 247Sports profile shows he’l be officially visiting Oregon next weekend.
Johnson is scheduled to announced his final decision on July 4.
OL Zuri Madison — Frederick Douglass (Lexington, Ky.)
247Sports: 3-star (88 grade) | ESPN: NR | On3: 3-star (88 grade) | Rivals: 3-star (5.6 rating)
247Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8800), No. 595 overall, No. 37 IOL
On3 Consensus: 3-star (87.22), No. 736 overall, No. 55 OT
Another prospect the Razorbacks haven’t been on long but have already secured an official visit from, Zuri Madison received his offer from Cody Kennedy on May 17. A month later, he’s in Fayetteville.
Listed as an offensive tackle by Rivals and On3, but an interior lineman by 247Sports, Madison stands 6-foot-4, 305 pounds.
He took an official visit to West Virginia last week and will check out Miami (Fla.) next weekend. During the spring, his trips included Iowa State and Illinois. Kentucky, his hometown school, offered back in December, but don’t appear to be in the mix as of now, but that could change.
I will be with the hogs June 16-18 for an official visit ®️⚪️🔴🐗@coachnatemcpeek @FDouglassFB @CoachCKennedy @RazorbackFB pic.twitter.com/7Y087kPw5y
— Zuri Madison🌟 (@Zuri__Madison) May 30, 2023
RB Braylen Russell — Benton (Ark.)
247Sports: 4-star (90 grade) | ESPN: 4-star (81 grade) | On3: 4-star (90 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.8 rating)
247Sports Composite: 4-star (0.9069), No. 289 overall, No. 24 RB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (90.34), No. 276 overall, No. 22 RB
Once committed to the Razorbacks for about a year, Braylen Russell backed off his pledge in October. However, he remains very interested in Arkansas football and could still end up in Fayetteville, where he’ll be on an official visit this weekend.
Back in April, Russell released a top five of Arkansas, Baylor, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He checked out the Gamecocks on the first official visit weekend of the month and, according to Rivals, it made quite the impression on him.
He was at Baylor last weekend and will officially visit Tennessee next weekend as it continues to get closer to his July 14 commitment date.
@dmcfadden20 🐗 pic.twitter.com/FN6vFi6kOK
— Braylen Russell (@BraylenRussell) April 15, 2023
LB Bradley Shaw — Hoover (Ala.)
247Sports: 4-star (94 grade) | ESPN: 4-star (82 grade) | On3: 4-star (91 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.8 rating)
247Sports Composite: 4-star (0.9364), No. 153 overall, No. 14 LB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (92.59), No. 132 overall, No. 11 LB
The Razorbacks have gone into Alabama and landed top prospects a few times the last couple of years, most notably securing a commitment from Kavion Henderson in the 2024 class. They hope they can do it again with Bradley Shaw.
The linebacker from Hoover is a unanimous four-star recruit who is ranked as high as No. 61 overall by 247Sports. He’s been offered by every current SEC school except LSU, which means in-state schools Alabama and Auburn are after him — not to mention the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan State, Stanford and USC.
Shaw took an official visit to Notre Dame last weekend and plans to visit Georgia next weekend, so Arkansas is right in the middle of it with the big-name schools of college football.
LB Tylen Singleton — Many (La.)
247Sports: 4-star (92 grade) | ESPN: 4-star (83 grade) | On3: 4-star (90 grade) | Rivals: 4-star (5.9 rating)
247Sports Composite: 4-star (0.9409), No. 136 overall, No. 11 LB
On3 Consensus: 4-star (92.39), No. 144 overall, No. 13 LB
Arkansas made a strong push for top-50 prospect and fellow linebacker Tackett Curtis in the 2023 class before he ultimately signed with USC. Now it is going after the next star from the small Louisiana powerhouse that is Many High.
Singleton is certainly interested in the Razorbacks, as he’s been to Fayetteville at least four times previously, and now he’s coming for an official visit despite almost the entire defensive staff changing over the offseason. His most recent trip was in April, when he got to meet the new coaches.
It’s his second official visit of the month, as he has already been to Texas A&M and will be at Tennessee next weekend. Singleton has a slew of offers that also includes Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU and USC.
Although he’s listed as a linebacker by 247Sports and On3, he’s still classified as a safety on ESPN and Rivals. It appears the Razorbacks are recruiting him for the latter, as he posed for pictures with Marcus Woodson and Deron Wilson back in April.
Previous Arkansas Football Visitors in June 2023
Weekend of June 2-4
- WR CJ Brown – Bentonville (Ark.)
- WR Dazmin James – Clayton (N.C.) — 2023 recruit
Weekend of June 9-11
- LB Jordan Burns – Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.)
- TE Decker DeGraaf – Glendora (Calif.)
- LB Brian Huff – Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.)
- DL Kendall Jackson – Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
- ATH Ahkhari Johnson – Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas)
- OL Jac’Qawn McRoy – Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.)
- RB Nate Palmer – Decatur (Texas)
Arkansas Football Commits in Class of 2024
- DE Kavion Henderson — Leeds (Ala.) — Nov. 6, 2022
- DT Dion Stutts — Memphis (Tenn.) University School — March 11, 2023
- NOTE: Stutts tragically died in an ATV accident on June 13.
- ATH Noreel White — Ocean Springs (Miss.) St. Martin — March 13, 2023
- ATH JuJu Pope — Batesville (Miss.) South Panola — April 8, 2023
- QB KJ Jackson — Montgomery (Ala.) St. James — April 9, 2023
- CB Jaden Allen — Aledo (Texas) — April 21, 2023
- DE Charleston Collins — Little Rock (Ark.) Mills — April 21, 2023
- WR Courtney Crutchfield — Pine Bluff (Ark.) — April 21, 2023
- CB Tevis Metcalf — Birmingham (Ala.) Parker — April 22, 2023
- ATH Jadan Baugh — Decatur (Ga.) Columbia — May 19, 2023
- ATH Ahkhari Johnson — Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove — June 14, 2023
- WR CJ Brown — Bentonville (Ark.) — June 15, 2023
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