Of the top five players in the state of Arkansas (per 247Sports’ Class of 2024 player rankings), just two signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Still, head coach Sam Pittman has high hopes for the five in-state prospects the Hogs signed on Wednesday’s National Signing Day.
Four-star defensive lineman Charleston Collins (No. 2 player in state of Arkansas), a Little Rock native, headlines the Hogs’ in-state class, along with four-star running back Braylen Russell (No. 4) out of Benton, who Pittman believes has the size and physicality to play right away.
Following a rough 2023 season for the Razorbacks, Pittman appreciated the loyalty shown by the pair of in-state four-stars, along with three-star linebacker Wyatt Simmons (No. 8) from Searcy.
“Well, I mean, guys, let’s face the facts. You know with our year that we had it affected a lot of things,” Pittman said. “And with our kids in the state that stayed with us with all the noise going on around the program, I mean that’s big time for loyalty. Because we didn’t sign anybody that didn’t have several offers from the state of Arkansas everywhere else.
“With Charlie, he probably was at the top of that. Wyatt Simmons had a tremendous amount, Braylen. All these guys. And for them to stay here just proves that they’re going to be damn good Hogs because they wanted to be here. With Charlie staying with us, that was special — him and the other four, as well.”
Pittman also believes the Hogs might have found a pair of sleepers in three-star wide receiver CJ Brown (No. 6) out of Bentonville and offensive lineman Kobe Branham (No. 15) from Fort Smith.
“Kobe Branham, I love him now,” Pittman said. “I love big, athletic guys. I love his family. I tell you what, I think he’s going to be really special. I think Kim Dameron and that group over there did a really good job with him.
“And then CJ Brown, obviously he’s local. He did a little bit of everything for his team. He’s a great athlete. Faster than what I thought at first even, but he catches everything. The one thing is he’s tough. He comes from an athletic family. Both his sisters are athletic. Daddy was.
“They can’t say enough about him at the school, the type of person that he is. Of course, obviously they got beat in the state championship, but at one point they lost three in a row. It was great coaching, but it also was leadership and I think it was a lot of what CJ did on the team. So those are the guys and we’re really, really happy we got them all.”
While the in-state haul may not stick out on paper, particularly with the No. 1 player in the state Courtney Crutchfield signing with Missouri, Pittman feels good about the group that chose to come to the University of Arkansas, from both in and out of state.
“Well, I mean, every year if you don’t get them all, you’re disappointed,” Pittman said. “But at the same time, we had done such a nice job in our recruiting department of having others ready. We wanted to stay as loyal as possible to the kids from the state.
“Sometimes you’re not going to get them all and it’s disappointing because we feel like for their life and for their career and for their passion, they help us win. But at the same time, we have to make decisions. I’m not telling you we’re always right and those things, but we have to make decisions, we make them and we worry about the ones that are here and not the ones that aren’t. We don’t worry about that.”
