Razorback Rebuild on Rocket Boosters with 2024 Recruiting Class

However, all that success comes with giant, unexpected hole that will need to be filled

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – To describe the scene surrounding the Arkansas Razorback football program eight months ago as chaotic would be a borderline unforgivable understatement. It was a house on fire in the midst of an earthquake while a tornado bore down upon it. 

Swept away in the aftermath were at least 30 players and several staff members, including both coordinators and the strength and conditioning coach, all of which needed to be cleared out if this thing was going to get a fresh start. And get a fresh start it has. In an Eric Musselman-esque manner, Pittman and his new staff hit the transfer portal hard, loading up on high level players looking for a new home for various reasons. Then they turned their full focus to the recruiting class with full determination locked in on not settling on less than the best prospects.

What has resulted is a change in recruiting philosophy and scope that, after a huge night this past Friday, has landed nine recruits ranked in some form of Top 300, including four Top 100 recruits. Selman Bridges, Courtney Crutchfield, Ashton Bethel-Roman and Charleston Collins represent the first widely accepted Top 100 recruits for Arkansas since Hope's McTelvin Agim signed back in 2016. 

Crutchfield and Bethel-Roman serve as much-needed elite SEC level receivers, while Collins provides defensive help up front putting pressure on the quarterback while Bridges makes life miserable from the secondary. Factor in Leeds, Alabama defensive lineman Kavion Henderson as a Top 300 recruit, Mississippi's Julius Pope, a linebacker who has floated at the end of Top 300 lists alongside Russell, and plug and play Top 300 athlete Noreel White, and it's easy to see how well the elite talent pool is getting spread across both sides of the team. 

That's not including Top 300 quarterback KJ Jackson, a Top 20 quarterback out of Alabama. The only thing missing is a Top 300 offensive lineman, which can be terribly hard to come by as so many more are needed to fill out rosters at places like Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. However, it's been done before. 

The last time Arkansas had close to this many elite recruits was in 2015, the last class to have been recruited by Pittman during his tenure with Bret Bielema. That class included three Top 300 recruits who played offensive line for the Razorbacks in Hajalte Froholdt, a defensive lineman the Razorbacks intended to turn into an NFL level offensive lineman, Jalen Merrick and Colton Jackson, all ranked 93, 278 and 300 respectively. 

However, if it's going to be done with the 2024 recruiting class, it will take something completely out of left field. There aren't a ton of Top 300 lineman in this year's class and most are committed already. The handful who aren't don't list Arkansas on their offer sheets. That means, with the untimely passing of Dion Stutts, Arkansas has only one offensive lineman in this class who is ranked in Zuri Madison at No. 577. That creates a premium on offensive linemen this spring when the transfer portal opens. 

It will be up to Pittman to fill those holes. The last thing a coach who built his reputation on decades of recruiting and molding elite offensive linemen wants to see is one of the greatest collections of talent in Arkansas football history fall short of its potential because of a lack of production along the offensive line. If he can do that, building not only a wall up front, but equally strong talent behind it, the next three years should be very entertaining.

HOG FEED:

LIVE BLOG: BRAYLEN RUSSELL, SELMAN BRIDGES ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

ARKANSAS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE GIVES HOGS BEST CHANCE IN DECADE TO TOPPLE LSU, ALABAMA FOR FINAL SEC WEST CROWN

FORMER RAZORBACK TREYLON BURKS WRAPS UP HONEYMOON, JETS OFF TO TITANS IN BETTER SHAPE

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