Hogs set to host pair of official visitors from JUCO ranks

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas plays host to FIU on Saturday, but they also will have two official visitors on campus.

The Hogs are hosting Dodge City (Kan.) Community College tight end Gregory Genross, 6-7, 230, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College offensive tackle Raekwon Bouldin, 6-7, 350, for official visits.

The Jayhawk Conference released its all-league teams this week and Genross was the first-team tight end. He has caught 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. Originally from The Bronx in New York, Genross has offers to Mississippi State, Houston, West Virginia, New Mexico State, Troy, Texas State and Utah State in addition to the Razorbacks.

Genross and Dodge City are 7-3 on the season and ranked No. 7 in the NJCAA Division I rankings. He played high school at John F. Kennedy. He’s a three-star recruit.

Bouldin has offers to Arkansas, Mississippi State, Auburn, Purdue, Chattanooga and Florida A&M. He’s scheduled to see Mississippi State next month for an official visit, but at this time the Bulldogs don’t have a head coach. He played high school football at Canton in Mississippi.

Sam Pittman was asked this week if the talent has improved in the junior colleges because of portal and NIL?

“Well, what I’ve noticed in junior college is that they are not being as highly recruited as what they used to be, nor is high school,” Pittman said. “It is simply because you saw a guy play against Syracuse on tape and he looked really good or he played against Ole Miss on tape and he looked good and you’re going, I want that guy cause of what you see of who his competition is. That’s probably where I am familiar with the Kansas junior colleges because I was a head coach over there. I know a little more about who they are playing and the competition than someone who is not as familiar. I think it’s trickled down to junior college as well. I just don’t think it’s as highly recruited as what it had been in the past.”

Pittman was also asked if there’s specific positions he’s searching for in junior college?

“I think there are several,” Pittman said. “I’ll say this, I don’t know a lot of difference right now in JUCO and portal transfers. They’ve played. It depends on what their competitions been and all that stuff. Certainly, we’ve got to do something with the offensive line. And then you can look at each position that we have, and you probably could have a pretty good idea because you’re familiar with the program and follow it. You could probably have a pretty good idea of where we might go in the portal or in junior college to enhance our football team.

“I don’t want to specifically say. I think everyone knows that we’ve got to go get some offensive linemen. Other than that, I’d rather not go much further than that right now. We’re certainly trying to improve our football team and there are positions that we need to do that on. I just don’t want to talk specifically on those, if you don’t mind.”

Arkansas and FIU will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU Saturday night.