You’d be hard-pressed to find a running back room that’s been more dominant than Arkansas’ since the start of the Sam Pittman era, but there was reason for concern heading into this make-or-break season. Longtime assistant Jimmy Smith’s departure to TCU ahead of spring ball came on the heels of the Razorbacks’ worst season on the ground since Pittman took over in 2020, after all.
Then, of course, there was all the roster churn. The combination of an injury to Rocket Sanders, a horrific offensive line and the worst OC hire in the country last year make it hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong for the Hogs, but new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and running backs coach Kolby Smith are already righting the ship six games into 2024.
Transfers out from some of the Hogs’ most productive rushers could have made the job significantly more difficult for the former Louisville, Rutgers and Western Kentucky running backs coach, losing a trio of seasoned backs in Sanders (South Carolina), Dominique Johnson (TCU) and AJ Green (Oklahoma State), as well as a promising freshman in Isaiah Augustave (Colorado).
But Arkansas has restocked with rising star Ja’Quinden Jackson (Utah), Rodney Hill (Florida State/Florida A&M) and four-star recruit Braylen Russell to pave the way to a 4-2 season start and slowly erase memories of what could have been.
The departure of Jimmy Smith, for instance, cost the Hogs 2025 four-star commit Jamarion Parker, who wound up committing to Nebraska. It wasn’t just Parker that opted to go elsewhere either, as three highly-touted in-state backs (Daniel Anderson, Kiandrea Barker and Monterrio Elston) all passed on the hometown team. Though Anderson and Baker are now back on the market after backing off of their pledges to Notre Dame and Penn State, Arkansas’ mostly-full class may mean that the train has left the station for the pair of backs.
Fortunately for the team, Little Rock Parkview star Cameron Settles became the latest Natural State native to jump in Arkansas’ 2025 class and leaves more options for the team to get back on track. With the Hogs’ offense picking up steam halfway through the 2024 season, and a talented in-state pickup in 2025, Kolby Smith will have the opportunity to solidify his performance by landing a strong 2026 running back class.
Twelve backs currently hold offers in the class thus far, including highly-coveted prospects from around the southeastern United States. Below, I’ll give some background on each and assess their chances of calling the Hogs.
Most Likely for Arkansas Football
TJ Hodges
Trader’s Take – 4
The wild-card of this group, Marked Tree (Ark.) RB TJ Hodges could be in store for a busy season both on the field and in his recruitment. While Hodges is an Arkansas native, the trip to Fayetteville is nearly three hours farther from his hometown than SEC rival Ole Miss, who has also shown interest.
With other offers in from Auburn, Baylor, Florida State, North Texas, Ole Miss, Purdue, UNLV and USC, On3’s 164th-ranked prospect appears poised to shoot up the ranks among all services with a strong junior season.
Despite a marquee list, this one seems likely to come down to the Razorbacks and the Rebels. Ole Miss got an early leg up with the first offer of the pair, but a late-July trip to the Hill for the “Hogwild Hangout” positions Arkansas well as a team to watch throughout Hodges’ recruitment.
Raycine Guillory
Trader’s Take – 3
I wouldn’t label Raycine Guillory a “must-win” recruiting battle, but a commitment from the Aledo (Texas) four-star could be a program-changing achievement should Arkansas come out on top.
At 5-foot-9, 170-pounds, the former Texas commitment has reopened his recruitment, and with it the Razorbacks’ chances to bring in one of the nation’s best backs. In a recent video from Rivals’ Marshall Levenson, he broke down some of the discussions that he’s had with Guillory regarding his next steps.
Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas have jumped out as leaders at this point, but a slew of visits throughout the fall will play a crucial role in Guillory’s decision. Though Arkansas wasn’t included in the listed gameday visits, a trip to the Hogwild Hangout, Arkansas’ on campus recruiting event over the summer in Fayetteville might have given Arkansas an early leg up for the prized back.
Another interesting point here comes with Guillory’s teammate, Kaydon Finley, a four-star wideout who also holds an offer from the Hogs. According to Levenson, the two are “very interested in playing with each other at the next level,” and Guillory has no plans to make his decision without keeping an eye on his top-100 teammate.
With a likely package deal of two top-200 prospects in the class on the table, an all-out blitz from Sam Pittman’s staff could continue to flip the public perception of the program in the wake of the win over No. 4 Tennessee and launch the Razorbacks to the next level.
Ke’Rynn Smith
Trader’s Take – 3
The highest-rated three-star on this list, Holy Cross (La.) prospect Ke’Rynn Smith still has quite a bit of room to grow heading into his junior season. Despite a slew of Power Four offers already in his pocket, Smith remains without a ranking on both Rivals and ESPN. The 5-foot-9, 182-pound back was especially happy with one offer, from Arkansas.
“I was happy to get the offer and I think their staff is amazing,” Smith told Best of Arkansas Sports. “I’ve been talking to a good bit of schools, but as far as Arkansas (goes), I do plan on visiting after the season.”
This could be an interesting recruitment to watch for Arkansas – especially if he’s able to put together a pair of strong seasons, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Arkansas among the top of the list throughout if they’re looking to bring in a pair of backs in the class.
Jorden Prince
Trader’s Take – 3
Jordan Prince is one of the more intriguing names on this list thanks to the dearth of info on him. The three-star junior out of Beckville (Texas) saw a massive boom in his recruitment following his sophomore season, adding offers from the Razorbacks, Houston, North Texas, Texas State and Texas Tech.
At 6-foot, 170-pounds, there is a lot of room for growth in his frame, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pick up a handful of other offers throughout the next two years. Considering he told Best of Arkansas Sports that he was excited to see an SEC school offer him, Arkansas seems to be in play on this one – especially if we see him continue to rise over the remainder of his high-school career.
Ja’Michael Jones
Trader’s Take – 2
Alabama has been a hotspot for Arkansas in recent years, and one of their most recent attempts to work the emergent Yellowhammer State pipeline is with four-star Ja’Michael Jones. The Pike Road (Ala.) back holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee among others.
Sam Pittman has made a point of recruiting heavily out of Alabama in recent years, gaining nine commitments from the state since 2023, but with in-state elites and heavy-hitters around the SEC involved early, it’s unlikely Jones will become the 10th at this point in time.
DeShawn Spencer
Trader’s Take – 2
Arkansas was among the first to reach into Iron Bowl country and offer the Saraland (Ala.) three-star, and appeared to be a strong contender early. At 5-foot-11, 155-pounds, Spencer’s build is current to running back Rashod Dubinion’s out of high school (though Dubinion still held a 30-pound edge over the junior back), and could serve as a potential template for his development.
Offers from Auburn and Ole Miss might have put a pause on the Razorbacks’ momentum due to the proximity to home, and with a strong junior campaign, he could see a boost in his recruitment and become a solid piece in many SEC running back classes. It will be harder for Arkansas to remain in a favorable position to be one of them with both the Rebels and the Tigers in the mix.
DeZephen Walker
Trader’s Take – 2
The second-highest-ranked back that the Hogs have offered in this cycle happens to be just across the Battle Line. DeZephen Walker, a consensus four-star out of Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) picked up his offer while on a visit in March 2023.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound back holds upwards of a dozen offers from the likes of Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Despite the slew of recent powers, it’s Kansas, that holds the lead according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).
Narrowly trailing Matt Rhule’s Huskers, Missouri looks to be Arkansas’ biggest direct obstacle to garnering favor with Walker. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, his most recent look at Sam Pittman’s squad was the 48-14 beatdown handed down by the Tigers to end last season, and it appears that Arkansas is all but out of the race for the coveted tailback.
KJ Edwards
Trader’s Take – 2
The train may have left the station when it comes to the Razorbacks’ chances at coveted Carthage (Texas) back KJ Edwards. Few programs have had as successful a running back room as Arkansas over recent years, but an offer from Arkansas earlier in the year hasn’t appeared to impact Edwards’ recruitment. Visits around the Lone Star State paired with summer offers from the likes of Michigan, Oregon and USC lead me to believe that the Hogs will be on the outside looking in throughout the remainder of this one.
Not Very Close, And Definitely No Cigar
Amari Latimer
Trader’s Take – 1
Amari Latimer may not be the highest-rated prospect on this list – yet, but he boasts potentially the most impressive offer sheet. The 6-foot, 200-pound back would be a stunning get for Arkansas, but with 37 offers already from the ranks of Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami (FL), Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M, it seems unlikely the Hogs are truly contending for the prized four-star.
Omar Mabson
Trader’s Take – 1
To avoid spending too many words on something so cut-and-dry, let’s lay it out: Omar Mabson will not be an Arkansas Razorback come Signing Day 2026. The Auburn High (Ala.) three-star picked up offers from Alabama, Auburn and Georgia – among others, before the Razorbacks joined the list. On3’s RPM currently has Alabama as the clear leader in the race, and it appears that Arkansas lags behind the pack at this point in his recruitment.
Jayreon Campbell
Trader’s Take – 0
Similarly to my statement above, I can’t see a world where Arkansas comes out on top for Powder Springs (Ga.) Jayreon Campbell. If offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Ole Miss and Tennessee weren’t enough, Campbell told DawgsHQ’s Jeremy Johnson that “the atmosphere in Athens and Georgia being his hometown program is a big deal to him.”
Kaydin Jones
Trader’s Take – 0
After starting off as the most well-positioned recruitment on this list thus far, Arkansas appears to have fallen out of favor of Jenks (Okla.) RB Kaydin Jones. The son of former Sooner RB Kejuan Jones gave the Razorbacks their flowers after a visit with Jimmy Smith and the Hogs early in his recruitment in an interview with OUInsder’s Blake Mullen.
“If I had to tell the truth, my favorite visit has been Arkansas,” Jones said. “They made me feel the most at home and I loved their facilities.”
Despite that, Arkansas was left off a list of top schools list that included Alabama, Louisville, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, marking the end of a promising pursuit of one of the best running back prospects in the class.
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