FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas head basketball coach Mike Anderson has done a good job of keeping in-state talent at home as of late, and he’ll be challenged to keep it up in the recruiting class of 2020. So far, the Hogs have offered five players from inside the Natural State for the 2020 cycle.
North Little Rock shooting guard Moses Moody, 6-6, 185, became the first in-stater to receive one from the Razorbacks last August. Moody, the nation’s No. 26 overall prospect according to 247Sports, added several big names to his list after the Hogs officially jumped on board. Now he holds offers from Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri and others.
The Razorbacks appear to still be in a good position to land Moody, though, as he’s made several unofficial trips to hang out with Anderson’s staff.
Over the last couple of weeks, Anderson and his crew officially added four more homegrown talents to their most wanted list.
Three of them – Jacksonville shooting guard Gerald Doakes, Jacksonville Lighthouse point guard Davonte Davis, and West Memphis power forward Chris Moore – were offered on the same day, April 26.
Doakes, a 6-1 slasher and three-star prospect by 247Sports, has other offers from Florida, SMU, TCU and Texas A&M. Doakes put up 22 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists this past season.
Davis, a 6-4, 175-pound true point guard, has been offered by Florida, SMU, Southern Miss and Abilene Christian. He averaged 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as a junior in the 2017-18 season.
Moore’s offer was no surprise considering he already held scholarship opportunities from Florida, Memphis, SMU, TCU, Southern Miss, Abilene Christian and Murray State.
The 6-6, 210-pound forward averaged 14 points and 7 boards last season while leading West Memphis to a 29-4 record and an appearance in the state championship game.
Last week, the Razorbacks pushed the total of in-state offers to five when they contacted center Jaylin Williams of Fort Smith Northside. Williams, 6-9, 215, averaged 7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Grizzlies last year and has “loads of potential,” according to Northside head coach Eric Burnett. Williams is thought to be leaning Arkansas’ direction, so it’d be no surprise to see him become the first to jump on board with an early commitment.
Additionally, the Hogs are also taking a long look at Waldron shooting guard Payton Brown, who made multiple unofficial trips to Fayetteville for Arkansas home games this past season.
The loaded in-state crop comes at a good time for Anderson and the Razorbacks, too, as they’re only allowed to sign one player for the Class of 2019 (assuming the staff signs a late addition for the Class of 2018, which appears to be a likely case).
The 2019 spot is already accounted for as Little Rock Christian point guard Justice Hill has been committed since February 2016.
Arkansas is on an impressive roll in terms of keeping offered prospects at home to play for the Hogs, as Anderson has gone 8 for 8 in the three recruiting classes between 2017-19.
In 2017, the Hogs offered and signed center Daniel Gafford, forward Darious Hall, wing Khalil Garland and forward Gabe Osabuohien, though Hall did decide to transfer after his freshman season.
For 2018, Arkansas offered three from within the state and will welcome all three to campus later this summer.
That group consists of forward Ethan Henderson, shooting guard Isaiah Joe and point guard Desi Sills.
Hill, the son of former Arkansas assistant football coach Fitz Hill, is the lone 2019 commitment and plans to enroll at UA in January 2019.