Arkansas recalibrating in-state recruiting in transfer portal era

Razorbacks re-thinking approach to in-state recruiting, balancing homegrown talent with transfer portal’s instant impact and economic realities

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman at spring practice on the outdoor practice fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In the hills Arkansas, high school football has always been more than a game, it's a rite of passage, a source of pride, and, for many, the dream of playing for the Razorbacks.

The number of in-state high players going to the Hogs these days has dropped to a trickle now. Those dreams are colliding with the new realities of college football of transfer portals, NIL money and a relentless pressure to win now.

The Razorbacks under coach Sam Pittman, have found themselves at a crossroads.

Arkansas is dangerously close to pulling off the worst in-state recruiting year in the nearly 30 years.
Full story in the comments 🔽 pic.twitter.com/l2kMmBzLcr

— Razorbackers (@RazorbackersFS) June 28, 2025

Should they double down on in-state talent, investing time and resources into high school prospects who may (or may not) pan out?

Or should they take their chances on older, battle-tested transfers, who might cost less and deliver more immediate results?

“You know with our year that we had it affected a lot of things,” Pittman said recently. “And with our kids in the state that maybe grew up loving Arkansas, sometimes those recruiting battles just don’t go your way.”

The numbers tell a story of shifting priorities. In the 2025 class, the Razorbacks have landed a handful of in-state recruits like Quentin Murphy from Parkview Magnet and Grayson Wilson from Conway High, but the total percentage of homegrown talent sits at just 26%.

Meanwhile, Arkansas has remained among the SEC’s most active teams in the transfer portal, targeting experienced players to plug immediate holes and shore up depth.

Move-in from Texas puts versatile star @ArkRazorbacks commit under close watchful eye of @RazorbackFB offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.@SEC @SECNetwork @SInow#WPS #Arkansashttps://t.co/2Luxt1RgPF

— Hogs on SI (@hogsonsi) June 24, 2025

This isn’t a matter of abandoning Arkansas roots, Pittman insists.

The Razorbacks still “target the best players from inside the state. That hasn’t and will not change,” a sentiment echoed in recruiting circles statewide.

But, as Pittman pointed out, “if the offered prospects haven’t been great for a while, even the highly-rated ones and they sometimes cost as much as you would need to spend for two transfers at the same position of need, the conditions are clearly not right.”

Today's recruiting news puts @ArkRazorbacks in serious danger of missing out on all of the state's top prospects for 2026.@RazorbackFB @SEC @SECNetwork @SInow#WPS #Arkansashttps://t.co/yBb2nXNHyN

— Hogs on SI (@hogsonsi) June 25, 2025

The economics of college football have changed dramatically in the last few years.

With the arrival of NIL (name, image, and likeness) compensation and an ever-churning transfer portal, building a roster is no longer a linear process.

The calculus now includes player maturity, transfer costs, and the likelihood that a recruit will stick around through graduation.

“Transfer portal players are costing a lot more than Arkansas expected,” Pittman has said, pointing to a national trend that’s left coaches scrambling for value and stability.

Arkansas fans, long accustomed to tracking every in-state commitment, have had to adjust.

The state’s reputation for producing SEC-ready talent has fluctuated, with recent data suggesting that many so-called “four-stars” might not be as dominant if they played in talent-rich states like Texas or Louisiana.

“There’s a good chance his overpriced four-star from Arkansas may not actually always be a four-star if you suddenly dropped him off in New Orleans, Buford, Mobile or Duncanville,” a 247Sports analysis said.

At the same time, the Razorbacks’ national recruiting footprint has quietly expanded. The 2025 recruiting class includes prospects from Texas, Georgia, and beyond, giving Arkansas a broader base from which to build.

“We’ve led the SEC in total commitments for a large portion of the spring and summer,” Pittman said, even if the average player rating currently ranks 15th out of 16 SEC teams.

The program’s identity remains tied to the state, though. High school coaches, alumni, and local boosters still want to see Arkansas kids wearing Razorback red.

“Arkansas is one of the unique states where landing the vast majority of your offered guys is a realistic goal in most years, if the conditions are right,” Pittman said.

In a year when the state’s top prospects may not match up to their out-of-state peers, hard choices have to be made.

For high school players like Carius Curne of Marion and Marcus Wimberly of Benton, the stakes are clear. They face competition not just from their Arkansas peers, but from a national pool of talent and transfer veterans eager to make an instant impact.

The days when an Arkansas offer meant a guaranteed roster spot are fading, replaced by a meritocracy driven by performance, maturity, and market value.

The Razorbacks’ approach isn’t unique. Across the SEC, schools are recalibrating their recruiting strategies, balancing the allure of local heroes with the reality that winning now means finding players who are ready to contribute immediately.

“Few coaches will turn down the more cost-effective, more mature option simply because he’s more concerned about the perception of losing another four-star from Arkansas,” a 247Sports article says.

Still, Arkansas’s future depends on finding the right mix.

The transfer portal can provide quick fixes, but long-term success requires nurturing high school recruits, many of whom grow up dreaming of running onto the field at Razorback Stadium.

Pittman, as he usually does, is staying optimistic about the whole thing.

“I really like this team,” he said at SEC Media Days last year. “I’m just going to tell you how I feel. I really like where we’re at.”

With the 2026 SEC Media Days coming up in just two weeks, we'll hear that same line from all 16 coaches. You just don't hear coaches projecting publicly their team is going to be terrible.

Razorback fans want to win, but they want to win with their own.

Whether that dream remains possible in the era of NIL and the transfer portal is a question that will define not just this season, but the next chapter of Arkansas football.