In the blink of an eye, the 2024 Arkansas high school football regular season has nearly reached its halfway point.
Arkansas football’s 2025 recruiting class currently ranks 29th in the country and features four in-state prospects, while 2026 checks in at ninth during the early stages with two Natural State prospects on board.
Just as we did last year, Best of Arkansas Sports has compiled a list of the top 10 prospects in the state, regardless of classification.
10. Jaison DeLamar | WR | Fayetteville | 5-11, 210 | SR
DeLamar is committed to play at Arkansas, but it will be on the baseball diamond instead of the football field. The ultra-talented outfielder/pitcher is ranked No. 181 nationally in the Class of 2025 by Perfect Game, but is also one of Arkansas’ premier pass catchers and helped the Purple Dogs win their first state championship since 2016 last fall while leading the team in all receiving categories. He hauled in 89 receptions for 1,438 yards and 17 scores.
DeLamar picked right back up where he left off in Fayetteville’s season-opening win over Cabot with 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 receptions. Through three games, DeLamar has 19 receptions for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns.
9. Marcus Wimberly | S | Bauxite | 6-1, 185 | SR
By far the most highly recruited football player out of the sometimes-forgotten Saline County town in three decades, the former Arkansas pledge is now committed to Oklahoma. Before he heads to Norman, the hard-hitting safety is looking to lead what has been a banged up Miners squad thus far to a turnaround in the second half of the season.
As a junior, Wimberly logged 71 total tackles, including one for loss, broke up two passes, recovered a fumble and nabbed an interception. He also compiled 1,311 total yards of offense – 255 passing, 640 rushing and 416 receiving – and 19 touchdowns. Playing mostly quarterback on offense out of necessity thus far for the 1-2 Miners, Wimberly has compiled 721 yards of offense (382 passing, 339 rushing) and 10 touchdowns. Defensively, he has logged 9 tackles and batted down 4 passes.
Wimberly, who landed at No. 7 on this same list in 2023, is one of two back-to-back Top 10 selections.
8. Eli Hill | DE/LB | Bryant | 6-2, 245 | SR
The national pundits have not taken notice of Hill to the level of other top in-state prospects, but he has proven time and time again to be a gamechanger for the Hornets’ defense. He took over the Sept. 6 contest against defending Missouri Class 6 state runner-up Christian Brothers College, logging 9 total tackles, including 2 sacks.
As a junior, Hill logged 82 total tackles including 57 unassisted, 39 for loss and 11.5 sacks. Hill also hurried the quarterback 19 times and forced two fumbles. He has reported offers from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas and Tennessee-Martin at the FCS level, plus Northwest Missouri State and Ouachita Baptist from the DII ranks.
7. Antonio Jordan | WR | Warren | 6-6, 230 | SR
The latest in a long line of heralded Warren pass catchers, Jordan’s ‘lay low’ lifestyle will raise eyebrows from those who focus solely on player rankings. The three-star prospect is ranked as high as the 96th-best wide receiver in his class, but he has earned that recognition essentially by just shining on Friday nights, as longtime recruiting analyst Otis Kirk pointed out.
As the Lumberjacks’ top receiving threat over the past two seasons, Jordan surpassed 1,000 yards in back-to-back campaigns with 30 total touchdowns, while averaging a solid 20 yards per reception.
6. Grayson Wilson | QB | Conway | 6-3, 210 | SR
Following a breakout junior season at Class 4A’s Central Arkansas Christian, the Arkansas commit is now at Conway in the state’s largest classification before heading to Fayetteville in January as an early enrollee.
While leading CAC to its best finish since 2015, the four-star prospect (per ESPN) passed for 3,413 yards and 41 touchdowns to just two interceptions, along with 837 yards and 15 more scores on the ground. He also helped the Mustangs win the 3A state championship in basketball and the baseball team to a state runner-up finish. Wilson has passed for 821 yards and 8 touchdowns to 2 interceptions while completing 68% of his passes while leading the Wampus Cats to a 3-0 start.
5. Cash Archer | LB | Greenwood | 6-1, 230 | SR
While his younger brother, Kane, is known for thriving at the quarterback position, Cash Archer has made a reputation of creating chaos for opposing signal callers. Archer excels at rushing the passer – and is highly underrated when it comes to stopping the run – but one of his top qualities is versatility.
In 2023 while playing the edge, Archer logged 78 total tackles – including a very impressive 29 for loss and 20 sacks with 38 QB hurries – plus forced two fumbles. Archer transitioned to linebacker during the offseason, the position he expects to play at the next level. The dominance has continued into this year as Archer has logged 20 total tackles, including 13 for loss with 4 sacks, plus forced two fumbles and recovered one.
He owns Division I offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Missouri State and New Mexico State, Southeast Missouri State, Toledo and UNLV, plus Power Four programs Louisville and Ole Miss.
4. Monterrio Elston | RB/WR | Parkview | 5-8, 180 | SR
Just like his role model, NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, Elston has not allowed his size, or lack thereof, to hinder him. The speedster thrives at both running back and wide receiver, where he compiled 1,734 yards of offense – 847 rushing and 887 receiving – with 22 touchdowns in while helping Parkview win its second consecutive Class 5A state championship last year.
The Kansas State commit was the top offensive factor in Parkview’s season opener against Melissa (Texas) on Aug. 31, finishing with 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 13 carries.
3. Carius Curne | IOL | Marion | 6-4, 301 | SR
Possibly the prospect with the highest ceiling of everyone on our list, the LSU commit is really just getting started as he has only played in the trenches since his freshman season.
Curne, who was previously committed to Arkansas, came on the scene last summer after starting nine games for Marion as a sophomore. With the exception of Rivals, which has him at No. 2, Curne is the consensus top-ranked player in Arkansas for 2025 and ranked as high as the nation’s best interior offensive linemen per On3.
Multiple programs, including the Razorbacks, recruited him as both a defensive and offensive lineman, but he will play offensive line at LSU. Curne compiled 52 knockdown blocks and graded out at a solid 90% for the Patriots in 2023, according to Marion offensive coordinator Zach Tribble.
2. Kane Archer | QB | Greenwood | 6-1, 210 | JR
Flashes of his talent were shown during Archer’s freshman season when he moved up to varsity, but the national hype he has received since junior high became reality last fall.
Despite missing two games due to injury, Archer threw for 2,399 yards and 33 touchdowns to only three interceptions while completing 73% of his passes, plus added 659 yards and 16 scores on the ground. Even more impressive, Archer mostly did not play the entire four quarters of any contest until the second half of the season. He led the Bulldogs to a perfect 13-0 record and the 6A state title after the Bulldogs came up short in the championship game the previous two seasons. This season, Archer has thrown for 962 yards and 12 touchdowns with zero interceptions while completing 80% of his passes, plus rushed for 201 yards and 2 scores.
Note: Per Kane Archer and Cash Archer’s father, Adam Archer, they both are “talking to folks,” but as far as visits there is “nothing planned yet.”
1. Omarion Robinson | S | Parkview | 6-0, 170 | SR
A breakout summer persuaded Rivals to tab Robinson the nation’s 34th-best overall player for 2025 in August. It would be hard to argue that he isn’t the unquestioned top player in Arkansas after holding down the No. 2 spot last season.
The Oklahoma commit led Parkview to its second consecutive Class 5A state championship last fall while logging 42 total tackles and 10 pass breakups, plus he recovered 2 fumbles and nabbed 2 interceptions. Offensively, Robinson compiled 1,200 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns. That is just scratching the surface of his efforts as Robinson also serves as the Patriots backup quarterback, plus he punts and holds field goal attempts.
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Last year, we featured two eventual Razorback football signees in our top 5 with Charlie Colllins and Braylen Russell. At the time, No. 1 Courtney Crutchfield was also a Hog commit also he would eventually flip to Mizzou.
This time around, there is no current Razorback commit in the top 5, which is a surprise given how often the state’s flagship program pulls in its best players. The Archer brothers are an obvious wild card in this equation. It’s still unclear whether Cash Archer will get a Razorback offer.
As for Kane Archer, it’s also unclear how the Razorbacks’ quarterback situation for the class of 2026 will develop. A lot of that depends, of course, on whether Sam Pittman and Bobby Petrino remain on the Hill over the next couple years.
Arkansas High School Football Players Who Just Missed the Cut
Danny Beale | DL | Cross County | 6-4, 315 | JR
The consensus 4-star prospect is hard to miss as an imposing player in the trenches and his offer list proves it. It includes Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and Southern California.
Grant Karnes | WR | Greenwood | 6-1, 190 | SR
It is easy to get lost in the surplus of Greenwood talent, but Karnes has been a huge part of what the Bulldogs have accomplished since late in his freshman year. Head coach Chris Young – who was a long-time assistant under the legendary Rick Jones – told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he has “not come across a kid like this very often at all,” in his 25-year career.
Karnes has nearly 3,000 receiving yards in his career, plus has proven ultra dangerous on special teams. Previously committed to Wichita State to play baseball, Karnes has been offered a preferred walk-on spot to play football at Arkansas.
T.J. Hodges | RB | Marked Tree | 6-0, 170 | JR
Hodges has offers from the Razorbacks, Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, Southern California and Washington, among others. In his most recent game for the 2-1 Indians against Gurdon on Sept. 13, Hodges rushed for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns on 10 carries.
Jakore Smith | LB | Parkview | 6-1, 190 | JR
Smith helped Parkview win back-to-back Class 5A state championships as a sophomore while contributing at essentially every position along the front seven. Smith has been rated as high as the sixth-best linebacker in the country per ESPN and has offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Florida State, Kansas State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
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More coverage of Arkansas recruiting and Arkansas high school football from BoAS below.
Here’s our 2023 edition:
