2027 Arkansas Razorbacks target Hakim Frampton could be final piece for Joe T. Robinson

Frampton was briefly enrolled at Robinson in early 2024 before going back to California

Hakim Frampton with Narbonne (Calif.) High / hakimframpton/Instagram

Sophomore defensive back Hakim Frampton enrolled at Joe T. Robinson in January of 2024 with the intention of building on the successful high school football career that had already earned him Power 4 college offers after a standout freshman season in Southern California. 

Plans changed and Frampton returned to The Golden State, where he played his sophomore campaign for Narbonne High in Los Angeles. Frampton competed in only six games for the Gauchos, finishing the season with 11 total tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.

Now that he is settled in central Arkansas, Frampton is ready to make his name in The Natural State.

“(Everything taught me to) Just remain humble, always cherish the moments and have faith in God,” Frampton said. “I have to have that chip on my shoulder that I am still forever working to stay humble and be great. Every time the ball hits my hands I have to cherish it like it is my last, and I feel like I can do that to the best of my abilities this season.” 

Frampton, 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, has reported more than 30 college offers, including Arkansas, Auburn, Arizona, Arizona State, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Southern Methodist, Texas A&M and Washington. His most recent one came from North Carolina, now led by six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick. 

After taking an unofficial visit to the University of Arkansas last weekend for Junior Day, Frampton’s offer from the Razorbacks is one of multiple that are still in good standing after talking with defensive coordinator Travis Williams, as well as co-DC Marcus Woodson and freshly hired secondary coach Nick Perry. Perry worked in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks during the 2024 season.

 Already having that West Coast connection, Perry provided quality feedback for Frampton.

“Coach Perry is a really good guy,” Frampton said. “He was telling me things like how they evaluate both college players and NFL players.”

Now that Frampton is only a few hours south of Fayetteville, it makes playing for the Razorbacks even more enticing, he added. Frampton also mentioned Texas A&M, Oregon and Washington as programs that are on him “heavy,” but for now he is keeping his options open and does not have a set timeframe when he will make his final decision.

“I am not too sure, but I am going to possibly commit before my junior year,” he said. 

For his junior year, Frampton will join an already talented roster at Robinson. Despite winning 17 games over the past two seasons, including a 10-2 finish last year, newly promoted head coach and previous longtime assistant Tyler Uptergrove mentioned those results are still not up to par with the expectations of the program.  

Uptergrove has coached nearly every position group during his career but especially has a deep background mentoring the secondary. He spent the past three seasons coordinating the Senators defense, and the one spot he mentioned is the team’s biggest area of opportunity is a spot Frampton will fill the void. 

“We kind of felt last year that Hakim was our missing piece at cornerback,” Uptergrove said. “We ended up having another sophomore step up, but we only had Hakim for three days in spring ball and right away you could just tell he was different. He is extremely athletic, but more than anything understands the game of football.  

“We can coach him to do a lot of different things, but most of the stuff he does is just innate. He has a knack to make plays, and then you throw in the fact that he has a great work ethic. We work out (with the team) and then he stays and does extra stuff.”

Along with defensive back — the primary position at which colleges are recruiting him — Frampton will return punts and kicks, but Uptergrove added that he’s too talented to not contribute on offense as well. 

In the return game, the Senators got richer by teaming Frampton with senior-to-be Kevin “Deuce” Williams, who made his mark on special teams in his first season at Robinson. 

“(On special teams) Deuce, I think, took one or two back for a touchdown, so you talk about throwing those two back there in the return game and you have something special,” Uptergrove said. “Hakim will primarily be a defensive guy, but we will get him in the mix at receiver. He definitely has the ability to take the top off and be really electric in the screen game, so that is really our focus with him is adding another element to our offense to stretch the field.”

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