On Big Commitment Day, What Hog Fans Need to Remember

Too many people consider these things binding, but at times they mean nothing

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the field at Razorback Stadium before his team played the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans are all squirming right now over commitment decisions by some 2024 players. Sam Pittman knows otherwise because once a recruit pledges to a particular school, that's when the real recruiting begins.

That's for other teams, too. You can jump up and down and holler about that not being fair until your legs wear out, but that's the cold, hard truth. Pittman and his staff will probably increase the frequency of their message or whatever contact they can have just to make sure they are staying firm with those who are in the fold.

Until recruits sign on the line in December you can't exactly start building a roster off a verbal commitment. These guys are still high school seniors, remember, and if you remember back to your days, then it's pretty easy to follow what it means. Sometimes young people change their minds on life changing decisions.

Ignore the rankings. While there is a method you can do to equate it to winning, but the Razorbacks have never been at the top of those things, even after re-ranking everything. The Hogs have won with a few talented players mixed in with a bunch of over-achieving guys and great coaching.

Recruiting is a game that never stops. It's also a game where nobody expects a 100% retention rate, especially in this day and age with the transfer portal. I won't even go into the money involved these days. Probably the only time they don't recruit is while they are coaching a game. Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer did call Billy Sims at halftime once, though. That's what you do with a running back everybody saw had the talent to win a Heisman Trophy and come away with a second one.

With all the rules they have these days, there's probably one against that, too. What has become a game within a game has turned into a never-ending cycle of chasing teenagers all over the place more than actually coaching.

The fact the Hogs are in the running on a lot of these commitments says something for what Pittman has managed to put together with this staff. They all have to recruit heavily or they don't get hired around here. And don't stop ... ever. Or they won't be with the Hogs long.

HOG FEED:

PROGRAM IN ARKANSAS THAT WON THE MOST LAST 47 YEARS WILL SURPRISE SOME RAZORBACK FANS

BIG RECRUITING NIGHTS LIKE TONIGHT SHOW HOW FAR SAM PITTMAN HAS RAISED BAR FOR RECRUITING

CONFUSION WEDNESDAY OVER RUSSELL SOCIAL MEDIA POST INDICATION OF HOW EMOTIONAL HOG FANS WILL BE AFTER FRIDAY NIGHT'S DECISION

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE SHOCKING INDICATOR AS TO SUCCESS OF SEC TEAMS ON FIELD AND RECRUITING

GUNDY'S COMMENTS OPEN DOOR FOR ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA STATE TO HAVE THEIR OWN 'BEDLAM'

BOASTFUL WORDS BY BIG 12 COMMISSIONER MAKE CLEAR GIANT LEAP TEXAS, OU WILL HAVE TO MAKE IN JOINING ARKANSAS IN SEC

BASKETBALL, BASEBALL HAVE SURPASSED RAZORBACK FOOTBALL IN INTEREST FOR TIME BEING

YOUTUBE RABBIT HOLE PROVES RAZORBACKS WEREN'T BEST TEAM IN ARKANSAS IN 2019

SO MUCH SAID, HINTED AT THE DAY BROYLES, KRAMER ANNOUNCED ARKANSAS MOVE TO THE SEC

COMMON THREAD BETWEEN SUCCESS OF THREE PRO HOGS, DAVONTE DAVIS

ARKANSAS FANS VOICED IRE TOWARD WRONG FOOTBALL COACH PAST THREE SEASONS

WALSH, BLACK SHINE BRIGHT, DISPLAY ADDED SKILLS IN NBA DEBUT WITH BOSTON CELTICS, ORLANDO MAGIC

ARKANSAS TO ENTER SEASON AS HEAVY UNDERDOGS, WHICH FITS PITTMAN'S PERSONALITY PERFECTLY

'HEART OF A RAZORBACK' PHRASE USE TOO OFTEN, BUT ONLY APPLIES TO ONE MEMBER OF TEAM NOW

MAYBE BIGGEST OFFENSIVE QUESTION MARK FALLS ON CODY KENNEDY'S SHOULDERS

NFL DRAFT EVALUATIONS SHOW KJ JEFFERSON HAS ROOM TO MOVE UP BY APRIL

SLOP HOUSE: GREG THOMAS, NOLAN RICHARDSON CHANGED CULTURE ACROSS ARKANSAS IN '80'S AT HIGH COST

SLOP HOUSE: THREE 10-2 SEASONS REVEAL DAYS IN SWC WASN'T EVERYTHING SOME REMEMBER COMPARED TO TIME IN SEC

ACTS BY POLITICIANS PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE ARKANSAS WILL HAVE ROLE IN WHETHER NCAA USE NUCLEAR OPTION

RAZORBACKS NOT GETTING STUCK ON BODY TYPE WHEN RECRUITING WIDE RECEIVERS

DFW RADIO BIT SHOWS WHY TEXAS JOINING SEC MIGHT LEAD TO SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS

• Return to allHogs home page

• Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the allHOGS message board community today!

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube.

• Follow allHOGS on Twitter and Facebook.