'Whack-a-Mole' Strategy for Razorbacks May be Only Option

As teams start landing players, Hogs either off to slow start or trying to give fans hope

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman talks before facing the LSU Tigers at Razorback Stadium. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There may be a better plan Arkansas coach Sam Pittman doesn't want to share with anyone, but right now the level of success is up for debate. Like the entire Razorbacks' athletic department, they appear to be playing an expensive game of "Whack-a-Mole" around all the changing rules.

Don't pay an awful lot of attention to the rankings that started in 2022. You can look at those and quote stats to justify just about any argument you want to make. The Hogs' best ranking was No. 7 in 2023 and that year ended up being 4-8, so take those with a grain of salt.

One thing for certain is none of the folks they are currently rounding up are, hopefully, pieces to the annual puzzle Pittman has to put together for a roster. Oregon, Ole Miss and some others have managed it to have chances in November to make the playoffs.

Arkansas hasn't been close. Adding eight more teams to the playoff didn't really help. Beating Tennessee, who is in the playoff, gives fans a chance to stick out their chest a little bit. In the end, though, about all it did was get them into a small bowl game barely in that state geographically.

Pittman told us last week when he outlined the transfer strategy they were going after difference-makers. That came about the same time several of the folks we were told fit that role hit the portal out of town. How all that computes these days we won't really know until next November.

Forget about projections until the end of next season. Anything else is really just guesswork, but Pittman and his staff are trying to squeeze in recruiting transfers along with getting ready for an AutoZone Liberty Bowl game in a week.

It's not really a big game. When the main storyline is both teams used to play in the old Southwest Conference, even that didn't last that long. The Red Raiders didn't start playing in the SWC until 1957 and didn't exactly dominate anything.

Fans of neither team are really excited about the game. The mood of whatever small group of fans show up to a stadium reduced in size during a renovation, is frustration.

Even though it means nothing now, Tech is the No. 1 team right now in On3.com's transfer portal team rankings. The Hogs are No. 67. You can judge that or ignore it however you see fit while Pittman and his staff continue to play Whack-a-Mole in the recruiting game.

HOGS FEED:

• Can Calipari's short roster replicate what Richardson's Hogs did years ago?

• JUCO court ruling could be death knell for high school football recruits

• Arkansas Edge's holiday auction brings little NIL cheer

• Former Hogs' commit enters transfer portal after one season with rival

• BREAKING: Hogs grab major offensive linemen from portal

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