By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said the Razorbacks had three needs on the recruiting trail.
They were looking for defensive linemen because, well, it’s the group that wins and loses games in the Southeastern Conference. They wanted more defensive backs to add to their young group to help the Razorbacks defend spread offense. And, finally, Petrino wanted versatility, finding talented athletes that could fit into a variety of roles to help the Hogs.
So forget the fact the major recruiting services have labeled Arkansas’ class among the SEC’s lowest-ranked groups. Petrino had a different take on the haul.
“We feel as good about this class as we have any of the three that we signed,” Petrino said. “We really identified what we needed, went out and worked hard at it and we battled to the end and did a nice job.”
Arkansas unveiled a 25-member class that, it believes, has the potential to help the Razorbacks become more competitive in the SEC even though it landed near the bottom of the league rankings. Arkansas concentrated on defense, determined to find help for a unit that has struggled to stop opponents for much of the past two years. But while they were at it also added help for the offensive line, wide receivers and in the kicking game.
“We like the cards we got and we’ll be glad to play them,” said Tim Horton, Arkansas recruiting coordinator.
Clearly, the biggest boost came on the defensive line, where the Razorbacks snagged five players expected to bolster a bunch trying that will try to replace departed seniors Malcolm Sheppard and Adrian Davis.
The two biggest names: Tulsa Booker T. Washington defensive tackle Calvin Barnett and Junction City High standout Byran Jones. Both players didn’t announce their intentions until signing day, giving the Razorbacks, arguably, their two highest rated players.
Barnett — who had been a long-time Oklahoma State commitment — changed his mind and signed with the Razorbacks on Wednesday. Jones, who was coveted by programs like Auburn, announced that he had decided to stay in-state with high school teammate Alan Turner.
Petrino said Jones is a “special, special player.”
“When you look at all the guys that we signed, he would have to stand up there and say, ‘Hey I’m as good as anybody we signed (Wednesday),’” Petrino said.
The Razorbacks even more help up front, though, by gaining signatures from defensive ends LaCraig Brown and Chris Smith. Defensive tackle Jeremiah Jackson also joined the Hogs, helping the defensive. Collectively, Arkansas’ group of defensive tackles were rated as the third-best bunch in the nation by Rivals.com.
“It’s huge,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said. “You line up and take the field every Saturday and you’re wondering why your guys don’t look like their guys. So we’re starting to look like that.”
Arkansas’ enthusiasm about its new group wasn’t exactly matched by national recruiting services.
In fact, the Razorbacks haul was rated among the worst classes in the Southeastern Conference by Rivals.com (10th) and Scout.com (ninth) when the dust settled. In addition, Scout.com placed Arkansas’ class No. 48 in the nation, while Scout.com slotted the Hogs at No. 36.
While schools like Florida, Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina were pulling in high-profile high school players, Arkansas grabbed only three four-star athletes on a five-star scale, according to Rivals.com (Barnett, Jones and offensive lineman Cam Feldt). The rest of the group was rated as three-star players or lower.
“The development of these kids is what is going to be important,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said.
“I think there’s a stat that says that NFL draft picks are maybe three-star players. I think there’s some kind of stat like that. I think that’s because those guys are hungry and they develop when they’re in college.”
McGee played an important role in helping the Razorbacks close strong Wednesday. The Oklahoma native, whose recruiting area is his home state, was responsible for convincing five players to sign with the Hogs.
Three of those signees — Barnett, Jenks High linebacker Jarrett Lake and Prague High offensive lineman Denton Simek — didn’t announce their plans until Wednesday. In addition to Barnett, Lake had been a long-time Oklahoma verbal commitment and Simek had been committed to Texas Tech until the school first coach Mike Leach.
“I’m a product (of Oklahoma),” he said. “I really do care for those kids because I want to see them succeed.”
The Razorbacks signed as many players from Oklahoma as Arkansas this year. In addition, Arkansas pulled players from Texas (four), Florida (three), Georgia (two), Louisiana (two), Alabama (two), North Carolina (one) and Missouri (one). Petrino said Arkansas had to go out of state to find players a little more than usual because the in-state group wasn’t as strong in 2010.
“We certainly had to go different places to find players,” Petrino said.
Arkansas didn’t get everyone it wanted Wednesday, though. Several players who had been considering Arkansas signed elsewhere throughout the day.
Olive Branch (Miss.) High offensive tackles Shon Coleman and Damien Robinson signed with Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively. Defensive back Jonathan McKnight chose Arizona. Athlete Brandon Denmark signed with Illinois after being an Arkansas commitment.
But in the end, Petrino liked the group Arkansas pulled in Wednesday. Especially on defense. The Razorbacks will see how well they fit into their plans in a few months.
“I think we really helped ourselves on defense,” Petrino said. “That was certainly an emphasis. We understand we’re going to improve on defense. We’ve got a bunch of young guys coming back, but we needed to add some guys that could come in and contribute right away.
“I’m excited about what we have coming back, but also to add this defensive class to it.”
