All Hogs

Mom of Recruit Who Commits Today Sheds Light on Hogs' Success in NIL Era, Offers Advice

Bishop Gorman defensive back with ties to Arkansas to pick between Razorbacks, LSU, Utah, Washington at 6 p.m.

Kent Smith

It's time for a quick break from breaking down recruits to breaking down how so many high quality recruits are ending up at Arkansas.

For those who haven't been keeping up with the recruiting rankings, the Razorbacks currently have the No. 6 class after jumping Georgia. That makes Sam Pittman's 2023 recruits the estimated top talent in the SEC so far. 

The thing that has baffled so many is how Arkansas has done it with so little NIL money available in comparison to the teams traditionally floating around the Top 10. Well, a Tweet that shows up in the feed of Jeremiah Hughes of the famed Bishop Gorman High School may shed light on the situation.

The 4-star defensive back will announce his choice tomorrow between Arkansas, Washington, Utah and LSU. His mother, Nikki Hughes, who is an Arkansas-Pine Bluff grad and a UNLV aluma, put together a series of Tweets offering valuable advice in the area of recruiting, two of which specifically mention the Razorback staff, with another Razorback shout out between the lessons.

So, either No. 1 got deleted or No. 2 got bumped up to No. 1 because the first lesson in Mrs. Hughes feed is specifically about Arkansas and LSU. 

It's no surprise the Tigers join the Razorbacks as the other SEC team. Southeast Arkansas features an LSU hat for every two Razorback hats as Louisiana broadcast channels covering the Tigers, Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech trickle onto TVs in that part of the country.

What stands out here though, is in the midst of coaches bursting through family doors and out stadium tunnels about to explode waiting for their chance to talk about how much their donors can shovel into a player's pockets for the right to e-mail a complaint to an AD about how the player they think they own isn't acting the way they want or doing things the player is uncomfortable with that they demand he do.

While NIL is a point of discussion by Mrs. Hughes, which is inevitable these days, her first remaining post is about character. Coaches are notorious about trying to drop the latest gossip from "people in the know" or the whinings of players whose inflated self-worth exceeded his self effort on the practice field.

However, both Pittman and LSU's Brian Kelly apparently told their coaches to take the high road and it's paid off. Even if Hughes doesn't end up at Arkansas, that is a post that needs to randomly make its way in front of every mother on the recruiting list.

It should be noted that this is the lone post of the lesson series that Jeremiah retweeted.

She also pointed out two Arkansas assistants as examples of quality men while also praising the program for being forward-thinking and giving women a place at the table and making a priority of mental health.

The point about having women in the program might have been Lesson #1 without the official label as it came with the announcement that lessons were to come.

There are plenty of other gems providing insight on the process sharing wisdom that feels like a blend of caring mom and well-versed educator. 

One thing is clear. If Mrs. Hughes isn't in the education field, she missed her calling.

While Jeremiah got to make the choice, it might not hurt for Pittman to throw up a Golden Lions logo in the background of him smiling while holding a 2021 schedule poster that happens to fold over just above where Arkansas played Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Little Rock. It might at least earn him a polite nudge from mom judging from this post she retweeted.

And even though his mother says Jeremiah's decision is solely his, once the commitment is made, the gloves are off. She intends to give tight end commit Luke Hasz a run for his money at the Razorbacks' top unofficial recruiter.

Hughes will make his commitment tomorrow in honor of his parents' anniversary at 6 p.m. Indications are that fans might be able to catch the announcement live on YouTube. 

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments.