Roller-coaster Arkansas football 2024 recruiting class sees Hogs finish in familiar spot
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 2024 recruiting cycle's buildup to Early Signing Day was a wild ride for the Arkansas football program, with twists and turns leading to an all-too-familiar position.
The Razorbacks were battered and bruised when Wednesday morning arrived. Four-star wide receiver and Pine Bluff native Courtney Crutchfield spurned the in-state Razorbacks Tuesday, and four-star running back Jadan Baugh decommitted on Monday. Baugh eventually signed with Florida, and Arkansas had lost two of its top offensive recruits in a span of two days.
Vibes were down, but head coach Sam Pittman and his staff found a way to hold the line. The Hogs managed to keep all of their top defensive recruits and fought off a late coup attempt from Texas A&M to secure the signing of four-star wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman, who visited the Aggies this weekend.
So, what was the end result?
For the fifth consecutive cycle, Arkansas looks set to finish ranked in the 20-30 range of the national recruiting ranks. According to the 247Sports Composite, Arkansas currently holds the No. 28 ranked class in the country and No. 14 in the SEC. It’s a good but not great class that had the potential to be one of the best in recent Razorbacks’ memory if not for the Crutchfield miss and Baugh departures.
Considering how the 2023 season played out, this cycle is a win for Pittman. The Hogs held on to most of their top commits and reeled in a handful of players who could make an instant impact in the program.
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The defensive line is a particular bright spot, with Little Rock's Charleston Collins and Alabama's Kavion Henderson representing two players who could fight for immediate playing time in 2024. Collins is the jewel of the class, with Arkansas holding on to the in-state product who is a consensus top-100 recruit.
Arkansas also did terrific work in the secondary and brought in some electric playmakers. Cornerback Selman Bridges chose the Hogs over programs like Texas and Alabama, while Bentonville's CJ Brown and Benton’s Braylen Russel join Bethel-Roman and White in the class.
There is still one major high school target still on the board. Four-star linebacker Bradley Shaw will decide between Arkansas and Clemson at some point, and recruiting experts have the Hogs as favorites to land his commitment.
Regardless of Shaw’s decision, this recruiting cycle is more of the same for Arkansas, which means if the program is going to take significant strides over the next couple of years that so many fans crave, the transfer portal is going to play a monumental role.
As schools across the country flooded social media early Wednesday morning with graphics and hype videos announcing their high school recruits putting pen to paper, the Razorbacks went a different route. Arkansas instead began the day by highlighting all of its additions through the transfer portal. Arkansas announced eight transfers before welcoming Zuri Madison out of Frederick Douglass High School in Kentucky to the Hogs family.
Adding through the portal is a requirement in this era of college football. Arkansas found meaningful success last season with transfer additions like Lorando Johnson, Andrew Armstrong and Trajan Jeffcoat, but high school recruiting is still the lifeblood of the sport. It's too difficult to overhaul an entire roster through the portal. Arkansas hasn't had a class rank inside the top 20 since 2012, coming off its last 10-win season.
There are so many players in the 2024 class who should be pride points for the program, but fans and coaches will still be left wanting more.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football 2024 recruiting class lands Hogs in familiar spot
