Arkansas adding more portal offers, big week ahead

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has seven scholarships remaining for the Class of 2024 and the Jan. 3-7 visit period for recruits from the transfer portal will be big for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas is known to have offered a pair of defensive backs from South Alabama and a speedy wide receiver from Texas A&M who was a four-star recruit out of high school. The Hogs also may be linked to a former offensive lineman coached by Eric Mateos at Baylor.

South Alabama had a very good defense at times this season. They defeated Oklahoma State 33-7 on Sept. 16 earlier this season. They recently won the Ventures Bowl downing Eastern Michigan 59-10.

Safety Jaden Voisin, 6-0, 205, was a redshirt junior this season. Junior cornerback Marquise Robinson, 6-1, 184, also reported an offer to Arkansas Thursday night. In 2023, Voisin had 66 tackles, 29 solo, six pass breakups, four interceptions and forced a fumble. He is from Crestview, Fla.

Robinson played high school at Crosby (Miss.) Wilkinson County and then started his college career at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Coming out of junior college, Robinson was one of the Top 10 junior college cornerbacks in the nation. In 2023, Robinson had 35 tackles, 21 solo, three pass breakups, a trio of interceptions and recovered a fumble.

Jordan Anthony, 5-10, 160, was a four-star recruit coming out of Tylerstown (Miss.) High School. He signed with Kentucky where he was in 2022. He then transferred to Texas A&M for the 2023 season. Under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, Anthony caught three passes for 14 yards. He has elite speed.

Matt Zenitz has reported that former Baylor and Florida offensive guard Micah Mazzccua, 6-5, 325, is heading to the transfer portal where he’s rated a four-star recruit. Mazzccua played three years at Baylor including a redshirt season in 2020 out of St. Francis Academy in Baltimore (Md.).

Mazzccua played in nine games at Baylor in 2021. In 2022, he played in 11 games for Mateos with 10 starts. At Florida this past season, he started at right guard in 11 of 12 games while totaling 743 snaps on the Gators offensive line.

While not the portal, Arkansas is also set to host Andulusia (Ala.) four-star running back J’Marion Burnette, 6-1, 225, for an official visit Jan. 12-14 weekend. Burnette has rushed for approximately 4,500 yards in his career. He has 25 scholarship offers and was once committed to Auburn. He visited Missouri the Dec. 8-10 weekend.

On the first day of the early signing period, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman talked about what the final seven spots in the class could look like.

“That’s a good question,” Pittman said. “I still think on the defensive side out of the portal we need to get a corner, a linebacker. I think you would need an edge and an interior. So, there’s four. And then on the offensive side of the ball, I think we need another interior offensive lineman. I think we’re fine at tight end. I think we’re fine at quarterback. I think we need a running back out of the portal and a wide receiver. I think that’s pretty close to eight right there.”

Pittman and the Hogs have signed 25 recruits so far including eight from the transfer portal.

Arkansas’ Class of 2024

KJ Jackson, QB, 6-3, 215, Montgomery St. James Academy, Ala.

Taylen Green, QB, 6-6, 221, Boise State Transfer

Braylen Russell, RB, 6-2, 230, Benton

Ashton Bethel-Roman, WR, 6-1, 170, Missouri City Ridge Point, Texas

CJ Brown, WR, 6-1, 185, Bentonville

Krosse Johnson, WR, 5-10, 170, New Orleans Holy Cross, La.

Andreas Paaske, TE, 6-6, 255, Eastern Michigan Transfer

Keyshawn Blackstock, OL, 6-5, 315, Michigan State Transfer

Fernando Carmona, OL, 6-5, 315, San Jose State Transfer

Addison, Nichols, OL, 6-5, 327, Tennessee Transfer

Zuri Madison, OL, 6-5, 315, Lexington Frederick Douglass, Ky.

Kobe Branham, OL, 6-6, 320, Fort Smith Southside

Charlie Collins, DE, 6-5, 265, Mills

Kavion Henderson, DE, 6-3, 250, Leeds, Ala.

Bradley Shaw, LB, 6-1, 216, Hoover, Ala.

Xavien Sorey Jr., LB, 6-3, 230, Georgia Transfer

Justin Logan, LB, 6-2, 220, Marietta Kell, Ga.

Wyatt Simmons, LB, 6-3, 215, Harding Academy

Selman Bridges, DB, 6-3, 170, Temple Lake Belton, Texas

Jaden Allen, DB, 6-0, 160, Aledo, Texas

Tevis Metcalf, DB, 5-10, 175, Pinson Clay-Chalkville, Ala.

Ahkhari Johnson, DB, 5-11, 175, Texarkana Pleasant Grove, Texas

Doneiko Slaughter, DB, 6-0, 190, Tennessee Transfer

Julius “JuJu” Pope, ATH, 6-0, 195. Batesville South Panola, Miss.

Matthew Shipley, K-P, 6-1, 190, Hawai’i Transfer