All Hogs

Reaction to Razorbacks' Early National Signing Day Haul

Hogs light on possible impact freshman compared to most schools in competitive league, likely heavy focus on transfer portal ahead
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman reacting on the sidelines against the UAB Blazers at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman reacting on the sidelines against the UAB Blazers at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas finished the first day of the early national signing period with a couple of surprises with 4-star quarterback Madden Iamaleava and borderline 4-star wideout Jace Brown hopping aboard.

The move to sign Iamaleava, 4-star passer previously committed to UCLA, came as a surprise to longtime quarterback commit Grayson Wilson from Conway. Sports Illustrated touted Wilson as a top 20 talent at his position regardless of classification during the summer but Arkansas' move to take another quarterback came as a surprise.

Rumors of Florida State flipping 4-star linebacker Tavion Wallace proved untrue as defensive coordinator Travis Williams kept Arkansas fans from going into meltdown mode. Landing Wallace is huge from a perception standpoint proving the Razorbacks are serious about adding high level high schoolers.

Several other signees were ranked as 4-stars by at least one publication including Wilson, defensive lineman Kevin Oatis, defensive lineman Reginald Vaughn andJa'kayden Ferguson. Offensive line commit Connor Howes has yet to sign but is rated a 4-star by On3.

Overall, this class is top heavy and is currently tied with 2020 as Coach Sam Pittman's second-worst high school signing class with the Razorbacks, according to 247sports composite rankings history. Since being hired at Arkansas in Dec. 2019, his programs has finished no lower than No. 30 which indicates he's walking a thin line on the recruiting trail.

It is worth noting that Arkansas experienced a historically bad signing class during the transition from former coaches Bret Bielema and Chad Morris. The Razorbacks lost a total of 10 commitments in 2018 as seven happened following Bielema's unceremonious firing and ultimately finished No. 45 -- it's worst signing day haul ever.

Arkansas will likely continue targeting quality transfers to allow many of its crop of 2025 signees time to develop over the next few years before they are expected to contribute.

HOGS FEED:

• Don't trust what the experts say on recruiting: Here's why

• What Razorbacks signing day means this year | Locked on Razorbacks

• Hogs lose offensive weapon to transfer portal

• Recruiting coup, blockbuster schedule puts Hogs in spotlight as season looms

• Arkansas, Illinois draws second largest viewership in last 15 years

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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.

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