Arkansas Has Already Signed Most Blue Chip Recruits In Program History

– Evin Demirel

After three days of the Early Signing Period, the final numbers are in: Arkansas signed 21 players during the three-day event. With a last day signing by cornerback Devin Bush, the Razorbacks inked 13 blue chip recruits — far and away the most in recent program history. Coincidentally, Arkansas’ class so far comes in at No. 13 nationally (according to Rivals).

What do I mean by “blue chip recruits”?

I mean recruits ranked as four or five stars, the two highest designations on most recruiting services. The major recruiting service Rivals has archived each Arkansas recruiting class dating back to 2002. The second-highest is the class of 2009 which included the likes of Knile Davis, Darius Winston and Ronnie Wingo, Jr. That was part of the foundation of the Bobby Petrino-coached teams which would eventually lead Arkansas to a No. 3 national ranking and Sugar Bowl berth.

Those teams also got a big-time QB transfer in Ryan Mallett. It’s yet to be seen if Chad Morris can get such a transfer, or JUCO quarterback, though there are plenty of possibilities still out there in the wake of Kelly Bryant’s decision. A few days ago, Morris said: “Absolutely we’re still exploring options to bring an older quarterback in.”

Talent matters, and the teams which load up on it will win. That was seen in the Frank Broyles era, in which he occasionally recruited classes that would have ranked in the Top 15 nationally had recruiting services existed then. We saw it in the Bobby Petrino era, and we’ll see it again in the Chad Morris era so long as he keeps the same drive he’s shown so far.

Of course, not all his blue chip players will pan out. Just take a scan down the following names and you’ll see a few “can’t-miss” guys who whiffed. You’ll also see quite a few future All-SEC players. And the chances of a four or five-star player turning into such a player are much higher than with a three-star or below. That’s a basic rule which fuels the success of the “blue blood” programs year after year.

Year-By-Year List of Arkansas Blue Chip Recruits (via Rivals)

(NB: Unless otherwise noted, all players below were ranked as four stars)

2002: Arkansas national recruiting rank: 25

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Marcus Whitmore	LB	Independence, KS	6’2″	220		0	N/A
Cedric Washington	QB	Bryan, TX	6’0″	183		0	N/A
Tony Ugoh	OL	Spring, TX	6’6″	275		0	N/A
Chris Baker	ATH	Osceola, AR	6’2″	185		0	N/A
Vickiel Vaughn	DB	Plano, TX	6’1″	187		0	N/A
Lucas Jackson	LB	West Monroe, LA	6’1″	220		0	N/A

2003: Arkansas national recruiting rank: 29

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Farod Jackson	RB	Little Rock, AR	6’1″	235		0	N/A
Robert Johnson	QB	Waco, TX	6’3″	195		0	N/A
Chris Baker	WR	Chatham, VA	6’2″	185		0	N/A

2004: Team Recruiting Rank: 22

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Peyton Hillis	RB	Conway, AR	6’2″	245		5.8	N/A
Cedric Logan	WR	Fayetteville, AR	5’11”	160		5.8	N/A
Fred Bledsoe	DT	Little Rock, AR	6’4″	280		5.8	N/A
Michael Grant	ATH	Stone Mountain, GA	6’0″	175		5.8	N/A

2005: Razorbacks’ National Recruiting Rank: 24

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Darren McFadden	ATH	Little Rock, AR	6’0″	198	5	6.1	N/A
Marcus Shavers	DE	Allen, TX	6’4″	250		5.8	N/A
Felix Jones	ATH	Tulsa, OK	5’11”	197		5.8	N/A
Kevin Thornton	DB	Little Rock, AR	6’2″	187		5.8	N/A

2006: Hogs’ National Recruiting Rank: 27

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Mitch Mustain	QB	Springdale, AR	6’3″	208		6.1	N/A
Freddie Barnett	DT	Athens, TX	6’1″	300		N/A	N/A
Jim Hart	OL	Pocahontas, AR	6’6″	300		5.8	N/A
Van Stumon	LB	North Little Rock, AR	6’2″	238		5.8	N/A
Damian Williams	WR	Springdale, AR	6’1″	180		5.9	N/A

2007: Arkansas National Recruiting Rank: 31

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Grant Freeman	TE	Paris, AR	6’7″	243		5.8	N/A
David Williams	TE	Little Rock, AR	6’2″	240		5.8	N/A
Jermaine Love	LB	Garland, TX	5’11”	220		5.8	N/A
Kareem Crowell	DT	Chatham, VA	6’4″	290		5.8	N/A

2008: Arkansas National Recruiting Rank: 36

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Matt Hall	OL	Russellville, AR	6’10”	320		5.8	N/A
De’Anthony Curtis	RB	Camden, AR	5’10”	209		5.9	N/A
Jarius Wright	WR	Warren, AR	5’11”	180		5.8	N/A
Tyler Wilson	QB	Greenwood, AR	6’3″	182		5.8	N/A
Jerico Nelson	ATH	Destrehan, LA	5’10”	186		5.8	N/A
Joe Adams	DB	Little Rock, AR	6’0″	167		5.9	N/A

2009: Arkansas Recruiting Rank: 16

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Darius Winston	DB	West Helena, AR	6’0″	180	5	6.1	N/A
Colby Berna	OL	Fayetteville, AR	6’4″	275		5.8	N/A
Austin Moss	LB	Rockwall, TX	6’2″	209		5.8	N/A
Anthony Oden	OL	Chatham, VA	6’8″	328		5.9	N/A
Knile Davis	RB	Missouri City, TX	6’0″	209		5.9	N/A
Rudell Crim	DB	El Dorado, KS	6’0″	190		5.9	N/A
Anthony Leon	DB	Visalia, CA	6’4″	230		5.8	N/A
Ronnie Wingo Jr.	ATH	St. Louis, MO	6’3″	212		5.9	N/A
DeQuinta Jones	DT	Bastrop, LA	6’4″	305		5.8	N/A

2010: Arkansas National Recruiting Ranking: 49

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Cam Feldt	OL	Pilot Point, TX	6’5″	290		5.8	N/A
Calvin Barnett	DT	Tulsa, OK	6’3″	330		5.9	N/A
Byran Jones	DT	Junction City, AR	6’3″	297		5.8	N/A

2011: Arkansas National Recruiting Ranking: 24

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Brandon Allen	QB	Fayetteville, AR	6’1″	214		5.8	N/A
Brey Cook	OL	Springdale, AR	6’7″	314		5.8	N/A
Marquel Wade	WR	New Berlin, NY	5’11”	180		5.8	N/A
Tevin Mitchel	DB	Mansfield, TX	6’0″	175		5.8	N/A

2012: Arkansas National Recruiting Ranking: 34

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Jonathan Williams	RB	Allen, TX	5’11”	205		5.8	N/A
Otha Peters	LB	Covington, LA	6’1″	221		5.8	N/A

2013: Arkansas National Recruiting Rank: 27

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Hunter Henry	TE	Little Rock, AR	6’6″	235		5.9	N/A
Reeve Koehler	OL	Honolulu, HI	6’3″	321		5.9	N/A
Denver Kirkland	OL	Miami, FL	6’5″	333		5.8	N/A

2014: Arkansas Football Recruiting Rank (National): 29

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Rafe Peavey	QB	Bolivar, MO	6’2″	205		5.8	N/A
Bijhon Jackson	DT	El Dorado, AR	6’2″	327		5.9	N/A
Brian Wallace	OL	St. Louis, MO	6’6″	304		5.9	N/A

2015: Arkansas Recruiting National Rank: 25

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Ty Storey	QB	Charleston, AR	6’3″	210		5.9	6/26/13SIGNED
Jamario Bell	DE	Junction City, AR	6’6″	250		5.8	8/18/13SIGNED
Hjalte Froholdt	DT	Bradenton, FL	6’5″	290		5.8	N/A
C.J. O’Grady	TE	Fayetteville, AR	6’5″	230		5.9	N/A
Jeremiah Ledbetter	DE	Hutchinson, KS	6’4″	270		5.8	N/A
Will Gragg	TE	Dumas, AR	6’4″	241		5.8	N/A
Jalen Merrick	OL	New Smyrna Beach, FL	6’5″	295		5.8	N/A

2016: Arkansas national recruiting rank: 30

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Briston Guidry	DT	Metairie, LA	6’3″	275		5.9	N/A
T.J. Hammonds	ATH	Little Rock, AR	5’11”	196		5.8	N/A
McTelvin Agim	DE	Hope, AR	6’3″	269		6	N/A
Devwah Whaley	RB	Beaumont, TX	6’0″	205		5.8	N/A

2017

Arkansas national recruiting rank: 24

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Jeremy Patton	TE	Yuma, AZ	6’6″	250		5.9	N/A
Chase Hayden	RB	Germantown, TN	5’11”	190		5.9	N/A
Montaric Brown	DB	Ashdown, AR	6’1″	175		5.8	N/A
Brandon Martin	WR	Perkinston, MS	6’4″	220		5.9	N/A
Chevin Calloway	DB	Dallas, TX	5’10”	180		5.9	N/A

2018: Arkansas National Recruiting Rank: 61

NAME	POS	LOCATION	HT	WT	STARS	RATING	COMMITTED
Bumper Pool	LB	Lucas, TX	6’2″	217		5.8	N/A
Ladarrius Bishop	DB	Ashdown, AR	6’0″	190		5.8	N/A

Inside Look: How Arkansas Shocked the World On Early Signing Day

Not Finished Yet

A Razorbacks class of 2019 dubbed by Pete Thamel, national college football writer, as “pound for pound” as good as any program’s will get even better. Three blue chip recruits — four-star Adonis Otey, Treylon Burks and Hudson Henry — have committed and will sign in February.

What do you predict this class will end up accomplishing in the next three to five years? A 10-win season? A win or two against Nick Saban’s Alabama? An SEC West championship (which essentially guarantees a Final Four spot)?