FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas head football coach Chad Morris is expected to officially welcome approximately 20 new signees to his program in the NCAA’s early signing period, which began Wednesday morning and runs through Friday. Among those who plan on signing with the Hogs this week, at least eight will enroll in January and be able to go through spring drills beginning on Feb. 26.
That number could grow to nine, depending on the announcement of heavily recruited Harvey (La.) West Jefferson cornerback Gregory Brooks, Jr., on Wednesday afternoon. Brooks Jr., 5-11, 178, has been committed to Mississippi State since June but earlier this week announced a top five of Arkansas, MSU, Kansas, Kansas State, and Southern Miss.
The 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions show Arkansas with a good chance of landing Brooks’ signature.
Adding the coveted cornerback would be yet another shot in the arm for a class that has put together a nice run in December.
Last week, the Razorbacks added commitments from two of their most wanted remaining targets in junior college, offensive linemen Chibueze Nwanna and Myron Cunningham.
Nwanna, 6-8, 315, chose the Hogs over Maryland, Louisville, Cincinnati and others, while Cunningham, 6-4, 300, picked the Pigs over Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska and others. Both are early enrollees who will have a chance to push for starting jobs on Arkansas’ rebuilding offensive line in 2019.
Earlier this week, the Razorbacks also got good news from prep offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg, a four-star prospect who was committed to Tulsa prior to the Hogs extending an offer on Monday. Stromberg, 6-3, 280, is part of a six-man offensive line class that also features Beaux Limmer of Tyler (Texas) Lee, Dylan Rathcke of Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab, and Brady Latham of Jenks (Okla.).
The best news for the Hogs is that all six of the linemen are signing early, taking a load off position coach Dustin Fry and allowing him to get a head start on next year’s targets.
Morris and the Razorbacks are excited about how they finished on the offensive line, but the strength of the class is Arkansas’ defensive line additions. That group is headlined by several four-star prospects, including Mataio Soli of Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County, Zach Williams of Little Rock (Ark.) Robinson, Collin Clay of Oklahoma City (Okla.) Putnam City, Eric Gregory of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, and Dante Walker of Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove.
Arkansas’ defensive line class also features Mansfield (Texas) Legacy’s Taurean Carter and Enoch Jackson, as well as in-state standout Marcus Miller of Warren.
Running a close second on the Razorbacks’ strongest haul for this year’s class is the wide receiver group, which features four guys rated with four stars by at least one of the major recruiting networks.
The collection of pass catchers is headlined by elite prospect Treylon Burks of Warren, but also includes four-stars TQ Jackson of Jefferson (Texas), Trey Knox of Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Blackman, and Shamar Nash of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy.
Jackson, Burks and Nash are signing with the Razorbacks this week, while Knox is waiting until February so his grandmother is able to attend his signing day event.
With most of the class now out of the way, Arkansas’ staff will hit the road for a little rest and relaxation beginning Thursday afternoon. The coaches will be gone for about two weeks but will return to the Hill prior to the dead period coming to an end on Jan. 10.
Next up for the Razorbacks is the announcement of four-star safety Jalen Catalon, a teammate of Jackson and Carter at Legacy High. Carter will announce his decision on Jan. 18.