The true question we should be asking about recruiting

[shshark00]

Any given day, one can log onto Hogville and come across numerous threads in the Recruiting Forum and find various posters that wanna know why we can't recruit Texas better. Or Louisiana better. Maybe Atlanta or certain parts of Florida. Why we can't develop a pipeline in the region or that.
Then there is the worn out statement that it doesn't matter where in the nation you try to recruit, no one wants to come to Fayetteville.

But no one tries to figure out the real answer to our recruiting problems. When will this state find the right high school leadership to develop talent in-state that we can rely on to provide us with Division 1 talent each year?

We've got a coach at PA who has gained national attention for his style of play. Yet how many D1 offers/commitments have his players received over the years? We have a cluster of school in LR and NLR that should produce plenty of talent every year. Nothing. NLR themselves have tons of money invested into a new stadium and amenities and made the championship game this year in the state highest classification. But how many of those kids have schollys to a Power 5 conference?

Most, not all, but most of our best teams in our history have had quality in state prospects as the backbone for those teams. We are at our best when have quality Arkansas talent playing for us. We want better recruiting? We need to find a way to fix our lack of Arkansas High School talent.

[EastexHawg]

Our national championship era teams had Texas talent such as Jerry Lamb, Loyd Phillips, Ronnie Caveness, Jimmy Johnson, etc.

Our next great squads in the late 60s were led by Bill Montgomery and featured Chuck Dicus, Ronnie Hammers, and other Texas talent.  Without those players how good would those teams have been?

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

Does anyone on here know how many recruits LR should be producing yearly when compared to towns of comparable size in the South? 
I know it doesn't produce near enough.

[luke hawg]

Our national championship era teams had Texas talent such as Jerry Lamb, Loyd Phillips, Ronnie Caveness, Jimmy Johnson, etc.

Our next great squads in the late 60s were led by Bill Montgomery and featured Chuck Dicus, Ronnie Hammers, and other Texas talent.  Without those players how good would those teams have been?

How many of those old players are white guys?

[shshark00]

Our national championship era teams had Texas talent such as Jerry Lamb, Loyd Phillips, Ronnie Caveness, Jimmy Johnson, etc.

Our next great squads in the late 60s were led by Bill Montgomery and featured Chuck Dicus, Ronnie Hammers, and other Texas talent.  Without those players how good would those teams have been?

Times change. SMU was a powerhouse back then. I'm referring to the last 10 or so years. Even up to 20. Too many things have changed. Too many teams are shells of themselves while others we footnotes or didn't even exist and are powers now. To argue we should focus on out of state talent because it worked for us 50 years ago is kind of narrow minded. I'm not saying we don't recruit other states and recruit them hard. But I believe our defiencies as a program lie within poor in state talent. Having 5+ blue chip prospects every year you can rely on from instate is what keeps top teams in contention every year.

[shshark00]

Does anyone on here know how many recruits LR should be producing yearly when compared to towns of comparable size in the South? 
I know it doesn't produce near enough.

This 10 times over.

Between LR and NW Ark, the population suggests those two areas should easily provide numerous Power 5 recruits each year. They struggle to provide 5 combined. And those 5 don't usually sign with programs in the top half of their conferences.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

How many of those old players are white guys?

Yeah, go look at the '64 team photo, and tell me what you see.  The program took a fall once college football was fully integrated.  Was a different era. 

[PorkRinds]

Our biggest issue in state recruiting is getting them qualified. There are more players in the state that COULD make it possibly but no one recruits them from P5 because they can't qualify.  We should be able to depend on in star guys more but we can't unfortunately.  The best athletes play basketball and the kids with sec size and ability can't get into the SEC.