All Hogs

Did the Razorbacks add another player to 2026 class?

Arkansas misses on cornerback prospect from Tennessee
Jacob Davis|
North Side High School athlete Javonte Smith (25) answers questions from media after North Side defeated hometown rivals South Side 28-7 at North Side Stadium in Jackson, Tenn.
North Side High School athlete Javonte Smith (25) answers questions from media after North Side defeated hometown rivals South Side 28-7 at North Side Stadium in Jackson, Tenn. | Jamar Coach / The Jackson Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas' 2026 class missed out on 3-star cornerback Javonte Smith Tuesday, losing out on him to Tennessee.

The 6-foot, 170 pound cornerback prospect chose the Volunteers over other finalists such as Arkansas. He had offers from several other schools, including Mississippi State, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Liberty, East Carolina and Southern Miss.

With defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson as his lead recruiter, it made sense that Smith could potentially play in the secondary once he is college. However, he has been evaluated as an athlete and possesses the ability to play multiple positions at the next level.

He took an official visit at Arkansas the weekend of June 6, coming came away impressed by the Razorbacks program and bond with coach Sam Pittman.

"My relationship with the Arkansas coaching staff is amazing with all of them," Smith said. "I really enjoyed hanging out with coach Pittman. He's a very, very funny guy."

Pittman's personality, eagerness to build a sustainable culture and family atmosphere obviously comes across well which is why the Razorbacks have already earned commitments from 26 student athletes in the 2026 class.

The sheer volume of recruits has helped Arkansas remain in the top 25 nationally in the 2026 recruiting rankings, sitting at No. 8 in the SEC and No. 23 overall.

One major thing that stood out to Smith, a Tennessee native, were the facilities. Between the stadium, minor details such as the locker room stood out to him during the visit.

"Arkansas' facilities were amazing," Smith said. "I had no idea that they had a locker room for practice and another one for gameday."

Defensive Back Rundown

Arkansas' secondary has loaded up on recruits in the secondary in this class with eight pledges with Smith aboard. The Razorbacks have commitments from safety Adam Auston, safety Kyndrick Williams, cornerback Jalon Copeland, cornerback Victor Lincoln, safety Daylen Green, safety Keivay Foster and safety Tay Lockett.

According to the online roster, Arkansas has 15 scholarship defensive backs with seven of them classified as seniors this fall.

Pittman' hired his fourth different defensive backs coach, bringing in former Seattle Seahawks analyst Nick Perry for the role in January after former assistant Deron Wilson opted to take the defensive coordinator job at Georgia State.

The Razorbacks struggled mightily against the pass in 2024 as the secondary plummeted to No. 108 while giving up a shade over 242 yards per game.

With a mass amount of exits, it gave Perry and Wilson the chance to sign six transfers out of the portal, including Julian Neal from Stanford who ranked in the top five at his position at the time of his pledge.

Arkansas 2026 Commit List

4-star OL Bryce Gilmore, Prosper Texas
4-star DE Colton Yarbrough, Durant, Oklahoma
4-star LB JJ Bush, Theodore, Alabama
4-star WR Dequane Prevo, Bentonville
4-star OL Ben Mubenga, Buford, Georgia
3-star QB Jayvon Gilmore, Gaffney, South Carolina
3-star WR Keymian Henderson, Carthage, Texas
3-star S Adam Auston, Lawton, Oklahoma
3-star TE Jaivion Martin, Pflugerville, Texas
3-star DL Ari Slocum, Farmerville, Louisiana
3-star S Tay Lockett, San Diego, California
3-star S Keivay Foster, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
3-star DB Victor Lincoln, Lancaster, Texas
3-star S Daylen Green, Havana, Florida
3-star DB Jalon Copeland, Valdosta, Georgia
3-star WR Robert Haynes, Missouri City, Texas
3-star DB Kyndrick Williams, Fayetteville
3-star OL Hugh Smith, Missouri City, Texas
3-star TE Kade Bush, Chanhassen, Minnesota
3-star OL Tucker Young, Hot Springs
3-star DL Carnell Jackson, Auburn, Alabama
3-star WR Blair Irvin III, Bentonville
3-star DL Cameron McGee, Loganville, Georgia
3-star LB Caleb Gordon, Gastonia, North Carolina
3-star OL Ashley Walker, Hollywood, Florida
3-star ATH Ashton Dawson, Shreveport, Louisiana

HOGS FEED:

Published | Modified
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

Home/Football