Arkansas has specific needs left for Class of 2024

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman and his staff signed 13 recruits from the transfer portal in December and now are planning to continue adding this spring.

Pittman was asked about the specific needs remaining for the team following Thursday’s practice.

“We’re at 80 (players),” Pittman said. “You never know. You’re sitting there trying to figure out how many scholarships you have. Last year after spring break, we lost one. We know the big exit is in December for most teams. It’s been that way for us. Last year we lost one. We’re planning on recruiting five to eight. If it was five, we’d certainly need a couple of offensive linemen and I’d like two big inside guys (on defense). The next one, we would go for a linebacker.

“If it gets any more than that, then we can start talking about other positions. But right now, we’ve got to get four bigs. To me, we really need another linebacker.  When you say that people will take it as you’re not good at this…. I’ll take our football team right now. We have 5 scholarships so we’re going to use them to try and better the football team.”

Arkansas signed three offensive linemen from the transfer portal in December. The three, tackles Fernando Carmona, 6-5, 324, and Keyshawn Blackstock, 6-5, 325, along with center Addison Nichols, 6-5, 306, are all getting first-team work. The Razorbacks also added linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr., 6-3, 224, from Georgia. Arkansas hasn’t added any interior defensive linemen in the Class of 2024, from high school or transfer portal.

The transfer portal will open again on April 15, two days after Arkansas’ spring practices end, and will be open for 15 days. With Sorey the most experienced linebacker that makes the position one of need due to so much youth there.

“Exactly, where he stacks on the depth chart is important but not quite as important as just bringing some older guy that’s seen it before,” Pittman said. “We don’t want to sign a guy that’s not going to play for us but he doesn’t… if we could get one, we would, but he doesn’t have to be Dick Butkus coming in here. He just has to be a guy that can help us in those four.”

The Hogs have experience at defensive tackle, but just lack numbers. Cameron Ball, 6-5, 315, Ian Geffrard, 6-5, 380, Eric Gregory, 6-4, 324, and Keivie Rose, 6-3, 312, are solid players inside.

“Yes, I think we have four that I like,” Pittman said. “There can be more, four of them have played a lot of ball in there for us. Geffrard not as much, he was on our goal line package and things of that nature last year. Sheer number-wise, we’re going to have to have more guys there. Same thing at linebacker for sure and I’d like to get another center if I could, offensively. See where we’re at after spring ball.”

Arkansas recently hosted former SMU center Branson Hickman, 6-3, 294, for an official visit. The Hogs, TCU and others are in the mix for him. Click here for a recap of Hickman’s visit to Arkansas.

Arkansas currently has 13 scholarship offensive linemen. They also have some walk-on players such as redshirt sophomore Baylor transfer Tim Dawn, 6-2, 311, redshirt freshman Aaron Smith, 6-6, 290, redshirt sophomore Brooks Edmonson, 6-4, 320, redshirt junior Maryland transfer Tommy Varhall, 6-8, 337, and redshirt sophomore Kai Hamilton, 6-4, 291.

In addition to Sorey and the three offensive linemen, Arkansas added nine other scholarship players early on from the portal. They are quarterback Taylen Green, 6-6, 223, defensive back Doneiko Slaughter, 6-0, 192, defensive end Anton Juncaj, 6-3, 275, wide receiver Jordan Anthony, 5-10, 162, defensive back Marquise Robinson, 6-1, 195, safety Miguel Mitchell, 6-1, 215, running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, 6-2, 235, kicker Matthew Shipley, 6-1, 195, and tight end Adreas Paaske, 6-6, 262.