Can Arkansas get an increased number of high school football participants?

Despite a small in-state population, Arkansas has been able to produce solid high school football talent over the years.

However, the number of players participating in the sport across the Natural State, especially in the 11-man ranks, has decreased within the past two decades.

From a recent report in USA Today, by participation numbers released by the National Federation of State High School Associations, Arkansas was one of 19 states to see a decline in 11-man football participation from 2008 to 2024. The state went from 13,711 participants in 2008 to 12,162 as of 2024, a drop of 11.3%.

It isn’t the most drastic drop of any state in that span. Vermont had the highest drop, going from 939 participants in 2008 to 545 in 2024, a 42% decrease. Other notable states to see declining participation numbers include populated states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and New York, as well as sparsely populated states like Idaho, West Virginia and Wyoming.

But in Arkansas, a state that includes a college football program that competes in the Southeastern Conference, it may be a cause for concern.

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And in 2024, the last year of that participation survey by the NFHS, no NFL draft picks hailed from an Arkansas high school.

So what has contributed to the decline of 11-man football participation in Arkansas? Here are some possible reasons.

The COVID-19 Pandemic

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic that escalated nationwide in 2020 was a factor. The numbers from the NFHS indicated that participation declined from 2018-21, which went from 1,006,013 to 973,792. Schools that offered football also decreased in that span, going from 14,247 to 13,733.

But after the pandemic gradually went away in the subsequent years, participation numbers began to rise nationally. In 2024, the number went up from those in 2021, going from 973,792 to 1,029,558. Equally, the number of schools offering football also increased, going from 13,733 to 14,269 schools, higher than what it was in 2018.

The Rise Of 8-Man Football

Another reason for the drop in 11-man football in Arkansas from 2008-24 has been the establishment of 8-man football.

The first 8-man football game in the modern era occurred in 2018 when Decatur faced Hermitage. Previously, 8-man football in Arkansas had been played until 1964. In 2021, 8-man football became fully sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association.

Entering this season, there are a total of 21 schools playing 8-man football in Arkansas. That includes teams that had played 11-man last season like Izard County, Magazine and Lafayette County.

In a recent post on the Facebook page Arkansas Sports Network - High School, school consolidation has been another factor. According to the post, a total of 184 schools played football in 1972, but several schools have become defunct largely due to consolidation.

The Decline of City-Based Programs

Perhaps the most iconic high school football program in Arkansas is Central High in Little Rock, the state’s biggest city. The Tigers have won a total of 32 state championships, but the last one was won in 2004. They’ve also won a total of five games since 2021.

The second-most titles in the state have been won by Pine Bluff, which was ranked No. 12 in population this year. The Zebras have won 23 titles, but the last came in 2015.

Third on that list is Northside High in Fort Smith, for years the second-biggest city in Arkansas but now ranked fourth in population. The Grizzlies have won 14 titles, but the last state title was won in 1999. Last season, Northside endured a winless campaign. Fort Smith’s other main high school, Southside, has won eight state championships, but the last one came exactly 20 years ago.

Reasons for the decline of public school football in the state range from the obvious, such as demographics, economics, finances and high school athletes choosing to play other sports like basketball. Then there has been the recent trend of dominance by the programs in the suburban cities and in private schools.

Emerging Suburban and Private School Powers

The fourth-most state titles in Arkansas are from Greenwood, located about 15 miles south of Fort Smith. The Bulldogs have won 12 state titles, with the first one coming at the turn of this century - 2000. They’ve also had a successful youth football program - which even has its own website - that has helped prepare players when they eventually play at the varsity level. And despite dropping down to Class 5A this season, Greenwood continues to remain in title contention.

Maybe the best program in the state now resides in Bryant, located about 20 miles southwest of Little Rock. Before 2018, the Hornets had not win a single state title. But since 2018, they’ve won six titles, including a 7A title won last season.

Private schools have also become dominant in recent years. Pulaski Academy in Little Rock has won 11 state titles, all dating back to 2003. Harding Academy in Searcy has won 10 state titles, with six of those coming in 2012 or later. Shiloh Christian in Springdale has claimed nine state titles, spanning four decades, with the Saints winning last season’s 6A title and is now playing in 7A.

The opportunity for some to get the chance to play football at those newly established powers have also diminished the chances at other public schools in larger cities, especially with the resources and the commitment being put forth by those recent state title winners.

The Razorbacks’ Free Fall

As mentioned, Arkansas was one of 19 states to see participation numbers drop from 2008-24. It was also the only state with an SEC program to have declining numbers.

Perhaps not coincidentally, it has also correlated to the downturn of the state’s flagship college program, the Razorbacks from the University of Arkansas.

Since the start of the 2008 season to this past season, the Razorbacks have won a total of 105 games, one of the fewest won by an SEC program. And since 2012 - when Arkansas fired head coach Bobby Petrino in the aftermath of his infamous motorcycle accident - the Razorbacks have won just 49 games, ranking them ahead of Vanderbilt in terms of established SEC schools.

They have fired three full-time coaches and not retained two interim coaches, including Petrino, who returned to the school in 2024 as offensive coordinator before taking over at midseason in 2025 after the firing of head coach Sam Pittman.

In that span after firing Petrino in 2012, the Razorbacks haven’t just struggled with the rest of the SEC. They also have had difficulty with non-conference foes, losing to teams such as Toledo, North Texas, San Jose State and Western Kentucky.

Plus, in a state that has seen declining participation numbers, finding in-state high school talent has been tough for the Razorbacks. And they’ve seen top in-state talent in recent years depart for the likes of Auburn, Oklahoma, Ohio State and LSU.

Other college programs in the state have remained competitive. Arkansas State University has played in 12 bowl games since 2012. Harding University in Searcy claimed the 2023 NCAA Division II national title and was the DII runner-up last season. But the Razorbacks have had a stronghold on the state’s sporting consciousness for decades, and the mood for most of its residents depends on how the Hogs fare on the field.

Nearby States Seeing Success

The state of Alabama, riding the wave of Nick Saban’s University of Alabama football dynasty and Auburn winning a national title and playing for another, has seen a 29.5% participation in high school numbers, going from 21,590 in 2008 to 27,953 in 2024. The highest jump was in Mississippi, a 67.9% rise from 16,820 to 28,236. That has helped contribute to the solid teams Ole Miss has had under former coaches such as Hugh Freeze and Lane Kiffin to Mississippi State, which has the distinction of being the first No. 1 ranked team in the inaugural College Football Playoff poll in 2014.

Oklahoma also saw a big jump in participation numbers, going from 9,068 in 2008 to 14,768 in 2024, a 62.9% rise. That state has had the luxury of producing elite programs, especially in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas, but also in smaller towns that have enjoyed success for years. Plus, several in-state players have contributed to the largely successful programs at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University in the last quarter-century.

And of course, there’s Texas, in which high school football is likened to religion. From 2008-24, Texas has seen a 23.2% rise, going from 141,298 participants to 174,126.

The Facebook post by Arkansas Sports Network - High School also cites other reasons for the decline in participation numbers in Arkansas, such as some having the fear of the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) brain disease, the Competitive Equity Factor (developed by the AAA in 2022, bumping up non-public schools to a higher classification using a point system) and the recent passing of House Bill 1633 by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, where if a student-athlete transfers to another school in the middle of a season, he or she can’t play that sport the remainder of that season at their new school.

So can Arkansas get its 11-man numbers up in the coming years? It may take, among other things, an increased commitment to football by public school programs in the larger cities, more dynamic coaches, more schools possibly going from 8-man to 11-man football and having the University of Arkansas regain competitiveness.

Those factors, though, remain to be seen.

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