Hogs staff going National for 2011 class

DT Kevin McReynolds of Washington DC.

With 16 high school seniors already committed to play for the University of Arkansas, this class sets up to be one of the strongest of the Petrino era.

The Razorback coaching staff has gotten verbal commitments from 7 in state prospects for the 2011 class. All 7 of those rank in the top 10 prospects in the state. Not bad for the state of Arkansas, considering the Hogs only signed 4 in state players in the 2010 class.

To have success at Arkansas, the recruit map is going to have to extend well beyond the state of Arkansas, and even well beyond the southeast portion of the United States. The state of Arkansas just does not produce enough talent to support an SEC program. Previous staffs at Arkansas would offer anyone in state who were life long Razorback fans or who showed the desire to wear the uniform. It is hard to build quality depth, redshirt program, & championship teams when taking that approach.

From 2002-07, Arkansas signed a whopping 59 athletes from the state of Arkansas. An average of 9.83 in state kids per year in that 6 year range. Of those 59, 30 either had minimal contributions or left the program all together. That is just at a 50% success rate of in state players within that 6 year period.

As we move into the meat of the 2011 recruiting season, the Arkansas staff has plucked what it wants from within the state, and has now moved national. The staff seems to understand that to build a championship program at Arkansas, you must broaden your horizons. You must hit every corner of this nation to find the top talent that there is available.

LB Brock Haman out of Scottsdale, AZ

What has held the Arkansas program back for so long? Why have the Razorbacks never been able to be a consistent winner & contender in the SEC West? It is simple; lack of recruiting on the national scene, and being too caught up in who has been a life long Razorback fan.

As I mentioned before, Arkansas currently has 16 commits for the 2011 class, of which 7 of those are from within our great states borders. Now, let's take a look at the rest.

Arkansas currently has 9 out of state commits, who are all from 9 different states. The Hogs currently have commits from the states of, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, Kansas(orig.OK), Illinois, Florida,  & Oklahoma.

Astonishing right? What is even more unbelievable about the current staff are the athletes not yet committed, whom they are still chasing.

As of today, Arkansas has sent out 199 scholarship offers for the 2011 class. Of those 199 offers, only 9 are within the state of Arkansas. That means, 190 offers have been sent out nation wide by our staff. West Coast, East Coast, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest, Midwest. You name it, there is a prospect in that area of the country with an Arkansas Razorback scholarship offer.

This staff gets it. They understand what it takes, and what it is going to take to sustain excellence at the University of Arkansas. They do not care who else may be recruiting a kid. They do not care if a prospect is an 11 hour drive, or a 4 hour plane ride away. The only thing this staff seems to care about is finding the best possible athletes available across the country and persuading them to come to Arkansas to be a part of something special.

When the dust has settled, and the letter of intents roll into the BAC in February, Arkansas fans should feel a sense of relief. Why? It is 2011, and Arkansas has a leader who knows what it is going to take to be successful here, and he is not going to let a few miles cloud his judgement on whether he wants a prospect or not.


-Clint Alan