All Hogs

Pair of Arkansas Linebackers Handle Recruiting for Hogs

Freshman try to get in ear of potential recruits both in transfer portal and at high school level

Kent Smith

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With Arkansas football in a moment of flux right now, things have the potential to turn south pretty quick.

However, a pair of young Arkansas linebackers have been working hard to right the ship. While the job of redshirt freshman Chris "Pooh" Paul and freshman Jordan Crook is to continue to develop at linebacker, their focus lately has been on recruiting.

On Wednesday night Paul put the word out to anyone and everyone who would listen that something big is about to happen at Arkansas and recruits need to get on board ASAP so they don't miss out.

If it caught the attention of potential players in the transfer portal as much as it did fans wondering what Paul knows that he isn't sharing with them, then Arkansas could be in for quite a bit of interest over the next several days.

However, Paul isn't the only linebacker recruiting for Arkansas. Freshman linebacker Jordan Crook is looking to keep the Duncanville athletic pipeline from Texas to Arkansas open by reportedly talking up the football program to 5-star linebacker Colin Simmons whenever possible.

While he's not likely to succeed as Simmons appears to be leaning toward LSU, there's still a chance. Plus, as we've seen with Jacolby Criswell, what happens during high school recruitment is remembered in the transfer portal.

Crook may not have his former high school teammate joining him right away, but the groundwork is laid for it to eventually happen.

It's not uncommon for players to try to get in the ear of certain recruits. They are often as effective, if not more, than coaches a lot of times.

The biggest thing is that both Paul and Crook are openly representing the Razorbacks and putting out signs of positivity. More often than fans might expect, the opposite goes on in college football.

There are numerous tales over the years of players telling recruits not to come and that they're looking to get out if they can find a way. 

In the days before the transfer portal created what is basically free agency, disgruntled players were more common, creating a potential toxic recruiting environment around which coaches had to navigate.

Perhaps the best news is that these are younger players who have had to experience hanging back and waiting on an opportunity. 

To see players who had to take a little time to develop while the field cleared go out of their way to try to bring in quality help not only exudes the foundation for a good culture at Arkansas, it's a shining light of hope at future stability in a world of portal chaos.

And right now, Arkansas could use a little less chaos.

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Published
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.