Get Ready for Tidal Wave Hitting Hogs on Losing Players in State

Robinson joins Wimblerly as players from Little Rock area heaed to the Sooners and it's becoming a problem

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman walks the sideline during 2023 season. /

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — People have been talking about Arkansas' problem landing high school players from the central Arkansas area, particularly in football. It's a problem Sam Pittman will probably talk about when he's retired and on Lake Hamilton.

The old excuses coaches have used at times over the years is they didn't think they could play at the level the Razorbacks need to win. Well, apparently, LSU, Oklahoma and Note Dame think they can play there. Use your own measuring stick if that's better or worse.

Omario Robinson made his commitment Saturday afternoon to Oklahoma. Marcus Wimberly from Bauxite has already pledged to the Sooners. This is starting to resemble 1984 when Keith Jackson left Little Rock Parkview for Barry Switzer's team in Oklahoma and became the best tight end in school history. Mark Hutson turned into a solid offensive lineman on a national championship team.

Pittman's not the only Razorback coach to have that problem of losing players out of state. Frank Broyles put up a fence but there was the occasional escapee, going all the way back to the 1960's when Chuck Latourette from Jonesboro became an All-SWC returner at Rice. There were others.

But for the most part, the Hogs aren't having a lot of success with in-state players. Don't ask me for a magical answer. There are several possibilities and I don't have a definitive answers. There certainly may not be a reason for so many players defecting the state for Missouri these days.

Oh, I've heard all the excuses. A lot of the Great Unwashed fan base out there thinks not playing games in Little Rock is the biggest problem. Sorry, I'm not buying that and haven't for nearly 50 years because that's about how long War Memorial has been a dump. The Razorbacks can't use it for recruiting and don't get much of anything out of it other than losing the potential revenue and recruiting advantages of a home game.

In other words, recruits will get as much sitting at home and watching a game on TV as sitting in the stands and have better replays. Considering the coaches can't talk to recruits at the game other than maybe a quick wave (if that) and no money to play in a stadium that is nowhere near SEC standards, exactly what do the Hogs get from playing there?

Arkansas has a problem they better figure out soon in football. As for basketball, well, everything is different there and they are building to a national championship contender there. Whether the resources are committed enough for that is a question nobody knows the answer to and all anybody can do is speculate.

None of that, by the way, helps the Razorbacks win much of anything. Somehow that appears to have disappeared as the priority.

HOGS FEED:

• WATCH: 2021 win over Texas gets fresh look; What's with Hogs' long home losing streaks?

• Hog fans will wait to see whether Arkansas can beat out strong competition for Robinson commit

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