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Recruiting Superlatives: Who's Arkansas' best in the 2026 class?

Hogs' best committed athlete, underrated prospect, star in making this cycle
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching spring practice drills on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching spring practice drills on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Razorbacks have led the SEC in commitments and hovered around the Top 25 in the 2026 recruiting rankings for much of the cycle.

From a sheer numbers standpoint, Arkansas is far ahead of how it traditionally recruits with a balanced class of 4-stars and high-to-midrange 3-star prospects expected to be key depth pieces.

Obviously, Pittman can't speak about specific high schoolers pledged to his program at this point without being binded by paperwork on National Signing Day.

But, he still says they are the cornerstone of any program.

"Number-wise, we are ahead of pace," Pittman said. "Our [coaches] have went out and done a good job there. It depends on what you want to do. Do you want to spend all your money to get a Top 5 class in the country and then not be able to pay the guys on the team?'"

Pittman's plan is to not break the bank on freshman while being able to pay those who can make a difference right away such as upperclassmen and transfers.

"For us we'll take care of the team first, and then come back to the young guys and pay them and pay them respectively, but have them earn that money to get it back,," Pittman said. "We're probably about 50/50 with other teams in how they're running their freshmen, but at the same time that's your cornerstone. If they'll stay with you, that's the cornerstone."

"I've been really pleased with our recruiting department and our coaches because we are ahead of schedule where we normally have been over the last two or three years."

This class is a bit unique as it bucks decades worth of trends, but still has instant impact guys and a few impressive athletes regardless of position.

Best Athlete: Ben Mubegna

Arkansas' latest commitment might be one of the best athletes on the team as he played soccer his whole life before taking his talents to the gridiron.

The 6-foot-5, 290 pound road grader offers punishment in the run game as he powers defenders ahead of him with his lengthy frame.

His knowledge of leverage, physicality and footwork for an offensive lineman of his age could make him a candidate to be in the two-deep once he steps foot on campus next summer.

This shouldn't underscore how valuable of an athlete Arkansas' top committed high school prospect Bryce Gilmore is either. He's been shown during offseason conditioning workouts at Prosper High School beating teammates in foot races multiple times.

Underrated Pledge: Cameron McGee

McGee is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-3, 328 pounds and continues to transform his body after starting the recruiting process shy of 380 pounds.

He displays strong athleticism along the defensive line and is capable of running down players in the backfield with underrated speed, which is highly unexpected for someone of his monster size.

Despite being ranked as the No. 1,432 athlete in the 2026 class, he is more agile than ever in his prep career and displays has proven versatility at multiple spots along the defensive line, but specifically nose tackle where he projects to play at Arkansas.

Superstar in the Making: Dequane Prevo

There's no denying the true atheltic ability that Prevo brings to the table as he transfers to Bentonville from Liberty Eylau in East Texas.

The 5-foot-11, 164 pound receiver boasts blazing speed and playmaking ability even after a knee injury sidelined him as a sophomore.

Prevo proved to be an exciting option in the passing game with 1,794 all purpose yards and 21 touchdowns last year as a junior at the Texas Class 3A level.

He has excellent run-after-catch ability, especially considering slight build. Natural playmaker with body control, ball skills, and functional athleticism. Displays advanced aerial acrobatics to compete for the ball.

Capable of stringing moves together in the open field. Sudden explosion shows as a RAC threat, but also in route-running development.

Shows promising short-to-intermediate acumen, but also a vertical shot threat. Particularly dangerous as a slot fade target.
Gabe Brooks, 247sports

Likely to Embarrass Defenders: Jaivion Martin

The Razorbacks are moving to more of a multidimensional tight end room with the ability to line up in several different personnel options.

The 6-foot-4, 250 pound tight end was a nightmare to defend in the open field at Pflugerville as a junior, embarrassing opposing secondaries with acrobatic and contested catches.

As a junior, Martin caught 51 passes for 804 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior for the Panthers.

Not only does he possess sticky hands, his underrated physicality as a blocker and ability to line up at multiple positions in the passing game. Martin's breakaway speed could bring opportunities for early playing time.

Best X (Twitter) Follow: Tay Lockett

A two-time MaxPreps All-American, Lockett has been steady in his commitment to the Razorbacks even with several recruiting visits to Oregon, UCLA and Tennessee.

The 5-foot-11, 175 pound defensive back reposts any and everything Arkansas related while publicly sharing his love for the logo. Fayetteville is home for him.

With over 41 scholarship offers in his pocket, Lockett expressed how easy it was to represent the Razorbacks on a national scale because of the defensive coaching staff.

“Being from California but choosing Arkansas was pretty easy over time,” Lockett told "Hogs on SI" last January. “Relationships I have built with Coach [Travis] Williams and Coach {Marcus] Woodson has made everything so much easier on me being more comfortable and having trust in those coaches into developing me into the player and man I want to become.”

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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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