A few things to note about the overall class ranking

[colbs]

I know most services have this class ranked in the 40's-50's.  For the most part the majority on here look deeper than what the class ranks(offer list, #of commits, etc.) but for the ones that don't consider the below before panicking.

-The average recruit ranking is right around where it was the last 5 years.  If they would have signed a full class it would have been in the 20's-30's.

-As someone pointed out on MMQB in 5 years BB signed 11 players rated 87 or higher on defense according to 247.  In 2 months Morris signed 6.  Arkansas biggest issue has been defense the last few years.

-The staff focused on needs.  In the past the "star power" has came more from the offensive side of the ball.  The staff focused especially on the safety position and DE.

[Vantage 8 dude]

I know most services have this class ranked in the 40's-50's.  For the most part the majority on here look deeper than what the class ranks(offer list, #of commits, etc.) but for the ones that don't consider the below before panicking.

-The average recruit ranking is right around where it was the last 5 years.  If they would have signed a full class it would have been in the 20's-30's.

-As someone pointed out on MMQB in 5 years BB signed 11 players rated 87 or higher on defense according to 247.  In 2 months Morris signed 6.  Arkansas biggest issue has been defense the last few years.

-The staff focused on needs.  In the past the "star power" has came more from the offensive side of the ball.  The staff focused especially on the safety position and DE.

From the very beginning after the hire I opined that a huge key to CCM's success would be who he chose as DC. IF Chad is truly the offensive guru that most have proposed, it was going to be the other side of the ball that was going to have to dramatically improve. Hopefully with not only the selection/hiring of Chavis and crew AND the obvious emphasis on defensive recruits in this class this concern is beginning to be addressed.

[Pig in the Pokey]

It's so funny to see teh booty hurt fans who are mad about Chavis b/c they expected "The #1 DC of all-time" or whatever. I guess they really wanted Venables. Yet, if you are ranking DCs, all-time since Arkansas has been in the SEC, Chavis is a clear #1. And if you rank active DCs, he's a CLEAR top 10 in the country DC. Dude can flat foot get it done and I cant wait to see the product we put on the field.

[Vantage 8 dude]

It's so funny to see teh booty hurt fans who are mad about Chavis b/c they expected "The #1 DC of all-time" or whatever. I guess they really wanted Venables. Yet, if you are ranking DCs, all-time since Arkansas has been in the SEC, Chavis is a clear #1. And if you rank active DCs, he's a CLEAR top 10 in the country DC. Dude can flat foot get it done and I cant wait to see the product we put on the field.

I think in our dreams most of us wanted Venables. Heck, under the circumstances who wouldn't However, when one looked at things realistically he was not going to make (at best) a lateral move, no matter how much he and Chad might like one another. Personally I'm more than fine with Chavis as a "back up" plan (at least in the mind of some folks). Over time he's proven he can do the job in the SEC; isn't that a major criticism that many have of CCM-that he hasn't proven his abilities in the "big leagues"?

[RockyMtnHog]

The defense may not be great next season but it will be improved.  Any improvement will be better than what we've had.  Fun times are ahead.

[Vantage 8 dude]

The defense may not be great next season but it will be improved.  Any improvement will be better than what we've had.  Fun times are ahead.

I'll settle for them to continue to be aggressive throughout the ENTIRE game. To make every opponent work as hard as possible to notch every score against us and begin dreading every time our defense comes on the field. 

[rljjr]

The defense may not be great next season but it will be improved.  Any improvement will be better than what we've had.  Fun times are ahead.

I have a feeling we're going to see a statistically significant improvement. If our revamped 4-3 D line can be aggressive and put pressure on the QB we will create more turnovers and opportunities for the offense. We may get burned from time to time, but that's not different from last year. We lacked a hunger to get to the QB last season and I think a change in attitude and scheme are going to pay off huge. I'm ridiculously optimistic about the Defense.

In fact, I'm sensing a changing of the guard in the SEC. We're going to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with. It may take a couple of recruiting cycles, but it's going to be fun to watch.

[RockyMtnHog]

I have a feeling we're going to see a statistically significant improvement. If our revamped 4-3 D line can be aggressive and put pressure on the QB we will create more turnovers and opportunities for the offense. We may get burned from time to time, but that's not different from last year. We lacked a hunger to get to the QB last season and I think a change in attitude and scheme are going to pay off huge. I'm ridiculously optimistic about the Defense.

In fact, I'm sensing a changing of the guard in the SEC. We're going to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with. It may take a couple of recruiting cycles, but it's going to be fun to watch.

The changing of the guard next year will be UGA overtaking Alabama.  There's just too much talent on that UGA team but Arkansas will make some noise.

[TebowHater]

The defense may not be great next season but it will be improved.  Any improvement will be better than what we've had.  Fun times are ahead.

I think it will come down to LB play. Scoota had a great year last year. Dre has so much talent if he could be disciplined.

Our secondary should be awesome with Santos, Curl, and Pulley leading the way. Agim, Guidry, Gerald and co should do decent on the DL.

Wherever Ramsey is (LB or DL), he will also help.

[imtad16]

I think it will come down to LB play. Scoota had a great yeah last year. Dre has so much talent if he could be disciplined.

Our secondary should be awesome with Santos, Curl, and Pulley leading the way. Agim, Guidry, Gerald and co should do decent on the DL.

Wherever Ramsey is (LB or DL), he will also help.

Man, I hope Jamario Bell blooms late. So athletic for a guy his size.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

From the very beginning after the hire I opined that a huge key to CCM's success would be who he chose as DC. IF Chad is truly the offensive guru that most have proposed, it was going to be the other side of the ball that was going to have to dramatically improve. Hopefully with not only the selection/hiring of Chavis and crew AND the obvious emphasis on defensive recruits in this class this concern is beginning to be addressed.

I also noticed the attention to defense even before a Coordinator was hired. I also noticed that it took BP 3 years to understand that he had a desperate need to address defense. CBB apparently also took 3 years to get his mind around it. This staff came in on fire for defense on day 1. Which means that either he is as smart as advertised, or someone close to the program with understanding of the situation got into his ear quickly. I like to believe he figured it out with his stint at SMU and we are going to reap the benefits of his lesson learned.
The guy is humble and driven. That's an excellent combination for a leader. I don't hope for success. I expect it. I hope that he does like Swinney and claims this place for his own. I also hope we give him millions of reasons why he doesn't need to go anywhere else after he builds what he is working on building.

[rljjr]

The changing of the guard next year will be UGA overtaking Alabama.  There's just too much talent on that UGA team but Arkansas will make some noise.

I agree. Bama is on the slide down. Not that they'll be bad, but they won't dominate.
Bold prediction: Saban will retire after next season.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Man, I hope Jamario Bell blooms late. So athletic for a guy his size.

If he has the drive he'll get the coaching.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I agree. Bama is on the slide down. Not that they'll be bad, but they won't dominate.
Bold prediction: Saban will retire after next season.

Do not sleep on that QB... Bama gets game planned against every week by all 14 teams. Everyone in the SEC is scheming for a way to neutralize what they do, and with the exception of 1 game by Auburn and a couple of Ole Miss games they have not faltered.
They are beatable. Hell! Anyone is beatable with the right combination of planning and fortitude. Bama has bullied teams into submission. They are finding that harder to do is all that I have noticed. That is because talent is pouring into this conference at an all time high. If the SEC teams had played for pride in the bowls instead of looking at it as a consolation prize they probably would have won them all.
I just hope that when we start winning that people will notice our team improving and not credit our success to the SEC being down. That has been the usual M/O from ESPN and other media prognosticators in the past.

[bphi11ips]

This was a great needs based class. John Chavis definitely proved his worth.

[GuvHog]

Do not sleep on that QB... Bama gets game planned against every week by all 14 teams. Everyone in the SEC is scheming for a way to neutralize what they do, and with the exception of 1 game by Auburn and a couple of Ole Miss games they have not faltered.
They are beatable. Hell! Anyone is beatable with the right combination of planning and fortitude. Bama has bullied teams into submission. They are finding that harder to do is all that I have noticed. That is because talent is pouring into this conference at an all time high. If the SEC teams had played for pride in the bowls instead of looking at it as a consolation prize they probably would have won them all.
I just hope that when we start winning that people will notice our team improving and not credit our success to the SEC being down. That has been the usual M/O from ESPN and other media prognosticators in the past.

You're right about Bama's QB. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Hurts gets benched and the Kid who will be a Sophomore takes over as the starter.

[GuvHog]

I agree. Bama is on the slide down. Not that they'll be bad, but they won't dominate.
Bold prediction: Saban will retire after next season.

I think the only way Saban retires after next season is if the Tide wins the National Title again. He wants to "one-up" the Bear.

[hobhog]

What is final ranking after DG signed yesterday?

[Vantage 8 dude]

While I've never been a big Wally Hall fan. In fact if one goes back over the years I've been down right scornful of most of his "observations". However, even he can come up with some interesting and meaningful nuggets from time-to-time. In today's ARDEMGAZ ole Wally makes an interesting point when comparing Morris' initial recruiting class with those of the other SEC five HC "newbies" from this year.

The final ranking apparently places the Hog's class at 49th nationally. One the other hand, Florida (Dan Mullen) ranked 14th; Jimbo Fisher at TAM placed 17th; Jeremy Pruitt at Tenny was #20. Rounding out the list was Joe Moorhead at MSU placing 27th and Matt Luke at Ole Miss at 31st. Obviously our showing was far back of even OM's ranking. However, the point that Wally made is that each of these coaches had one initial built in advantage over the Hogs: the negative perception of many recruits based on the Hog's overall record of 33-42 during the past six years. A period btw which represented the worse overall performance since Frank Broyles took over in 1958 (and by far the worst stretch since Arkansas joined the SEC). It's true that, as has often been observed, the old saying "You are what your record says you are" is most certainly reflected in these numbers. However, a point worth noting is that while it may not be easy, the path to the Hog's future is NOT absolutely cast in stone; it's not a predetermined fact that the team can't/won't improve both it's recruiting and it's future record(s). While it's fruitless to argue that we must have better players/athletes in order to compete and improve (that's a given), it's also pointless to automatically assume that CCM and staff can't and won't be able to do so. Will they? Obviously that's the HUGE question and issue going forward. However, since I'm acutely aware I can't accurately foretell the future, unlike some of you apparent soothsayers, I'll just take a "wait and see" approach and most certainly hope that in another four or five years we aren't having to agonize anew over replacing yet another HC and staff that failed to get the job done.

[Pig in the Pokey]

I have a feeling we're going to see a statistically significant improvement. If our revamped 4-3 D line can be aggressive and put pressure on the QB we will create more turnovers and opportunities for the offense. We may get burned from time to time, but that's not different from last year. We lacked a hunger to get to the QB last season and I think a change in attitude and scheme are going to pay off huge. I'm ridiculously optimistic about the Defense.

In fact, I'm sensing a changing of the guard in the SEC. We're going to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with. It may take a couple of recruiting cycles, but it's going to be fun to watch.

I expect it to be top half in the SEC and downright scary at times. These coaches are going to make FATBERT look sooooo bad when they take all "his" players and turn them into a real team.

[Pig in the Pokey]

What is final ranking after DG signed yesterday?

the # that matter is 86.26 our average star rating , which put us around 25-30.

Class wa ranked 46th counting the three 0s for not signing a full 20.

[ballinhog]

I think our class is a lot better than given credit for. I like to look at who offers the guys we get. Of our 10 guys on defense, 247 shows 7 of them with an offer from Bama.

I'd say we did a good job there

[Vantage 8 dude]

I think our class is a lot better than given credit for. I like to look at who offers the guys we get. Of our 10 guys on defense, 247 shows 7 of them with an offer from Bama.

I'd say we did a good job there

Well I can guarantee that based on past results 'Bama doesn't miss on too many players and offers, whether they end up signing with the Tide or not. The mere fact that they're an amazing judge of "horse flesh" on both sides of the ball, especially defense, tells me that unless they were merely throwing frivolous offers around, and that AIN'T Saban's style, these are kids who they thought could most certainly contribute, whether any of these kids are ready to start from day one or not.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

I think our class is a lot better than given credit for. I like to look at who offers the guys we get. Of our 10 guys on defense, 247 shows 7 of them with an offer from Bama.

I'd say we did a good job there

Yes, this class is right on pace with previous classes over the last decade or so, just fewer numbers. Had we signed another half dozen, then we likely finish in the mid 20's like always.   

Defensive side of the ball was definitely better than the offensive side in terms of numbers and offers.  Nice to see.

[Pig in the Pokey]

It's a "needs based" class, and in that regard it's amazing.

Think about this- we got the national title winning d-line coach from chavis' tenner stint and gave him a few nasty weapons to work with. Then we got the secondary coach from Chavis national title stint at LSU and gave him some weapons. And Chavis handles LBs, like his national title stints in tennessee's and lsu, and got himself some speed. Said weapons had offers from everybody.

WOO damn pig.

[Con el Cerdos]

I agree. Bama is on the slide down. Not that they'll be bad, but they won't dominate.
Bold prediction: Saban will retire after next season.

I don't see Bama sliding at all; the stock pile of 4's and 5's is still there.  Now, do they have some competition?  Yes!  Ga will be knocking heads with Bama for the next few years.

Saban won't retire until he wins another national championship and maybe not then.  He wants to put some distance between himself and The Bear in that respect.

[LJHOG]

I agree. Bama is on the slide down. Not that they'll be bad, but they won't dominate.
Bold prediction: Saban will retire after next season.

Really?  What gives you that impression?  You do know they return most of their O-line and D-line.  And with Tua at QB they are odds on favorites to win it all again, IMO.

[ballinhog]

Well I can guarantee that based on past results 'Bama doesn't miss on too many players and offers, whether they end up signing with the Tide or not. The mere fact that they're an amazing judge of "horse flesh" on both sides of the ball, especially defense, tells me that unless they were merely throwing frivolous offers around, and that AIN'T Saban's style, these are kids who they thought could most certainly contribute, whether any of these kids are ready to start from day one or not.

Information at hand. What I use

[ballinhog]

I don't know where anyone would get their on the slide down. They just won the national championships with true freshman sprinkled all over the field. And a QB that looks like he will be the best QB in college football the next 2-3 years. And that's something they've always been able to win without. They may never lose with Tua lol

Just bc Georgia is on a major come up, doesn't mean Bama is on the slide down. Also I think Saban is a fairly good talent evaluator as well, wouldn't surprise me if in 4 years from now their class is reranked #1

[hogmolar]

I know most services have this class ranked in the 40's-50's.  For the most part the majority on here look deeper than what the class ranks(offer list, #of commits, etc.) but for the ones that don't consider the below before panicking.

-The average recruit ranking is right around where it was the last 5 years.  If they would have signed a full class it would have been in the 20's-30's.

-As someone pointed out on MMQB in 5 years BB signed 11 players rated 87 or higher on defense according to 247.  In 2 months Morris signed 6.  Arkansas biggest issue has been defense the last few years.

-The staff focused on needs.  In the past the "star power" has came more from the offensive side of the ball.  The staff focused especially on the safety position and DE.

Just out of curiosity and to see if rankings matter, who were the 11 players CBB got and did they contribute much? This may give a good idea as to how much the new 6 may contribute. I know other factors exist but may be a neat experiment

[factchecker]

It's so funny to see teh booty hurt fans who are mad about Chavis b/c they expected "The #1 DC of all-time"

Chavis is probably the #1 DC of all time that we've ever hired.

I'm not talking about how he is going to do - of course nobody can predict the future - but simply based on history and name appeal Chavis is the best DC we've ever hired.

[jvanhorn]

Really?  What gives you that impression?  You do know they return most of their O-line and D-line.  And with Tua at QB they are odds on favorites to win it all again, IMO.

I would say it is a tie between Alabama and Clemson for preseason #1

[Vantage 8 dude]

Information at hand. What I use

Sorry, but are you trying to make a particular point??

[ballinhog]

Sorry, but are you trying to make a particular point??

Do u not get it? I mean what I said was pretty plain and simple. I mean all we have are the recruiting sites to see who offers who. Unless you want to attempt to get each recruits phone # and call them and ask who offered them. Other than that, we use the information at hand.

Can't believe u actually needed an explanation there. Sometimes I just shake my head at this place.

All it is, is you didn't agree with me so you made this poor attempt to be a smart a$$

And one thing I do not allow myself to do is get caught up in petty internet disagreements. Therefore I will not open this thread again for the sake of avoiding pettiness so there's a zero % need in you attempting another response to me in this thread. Just move on bc I will never see it

[HogFoo]

I have a feeling we're going to see a statistically significant improvement. If our revamped 4-3 D line can be aggressive and put pressure on the QB we will create more turnovers and opportunities for the offense. We may get burned from time to time, but that's not different from last year. We lacked a hunger to get to the QB last season and I think a change in attitude and scheme are going to pay off huge. I'm ridiculously optimistic about the Defense.

In fact, I'm sensing a changing of the guard in the SEC. We're going to rise up and become a force to be reckoned with. It may take a couple of recruiting cycles, but it's going to be fun to watch.

i tend to agree that we'll see night and day difference with our Defensive side of the ball.  Sosa is being move back out to DE where he belongs. So i figure they'll drop his weight back down to about 265ish and regain his speed that made him a 5*  he'll be on one side and Gerald will be on the other , the #1 DE in America. He too is around 265 with speed.  Well be getting our best lock down CB back from injury. We played our highly recruited freshman Callaway &Curl last season and for the most part, they did pretty well! So i look for them to be much improved and i look for us to be able to play some man coverage here and there.  Our depth will be young but we picked up our most highly heralded secondary since Batman/richardson back in 03'.  So i figure we'll get depth from them, from ramirez, brown, etc..  we'll have young but talented secondary and they will be good.  We'll be bringing the heat from Gerald and sosa, Caps, guidry, maybe even ferrell, will be the treestumps inside and our linebackers will be there to cleanup the QB or RB when the pocket collapses.  Harris, dre, morgan, parker and bumper, cuz i figure the two freshmen will get in early rotation cuz they both have SEC size and speed already.  If they can just pick up the scheme quickly.  But yeah i predict defense will be substantially better.


Chavis is the best DC weve ever had at arkansas, and hes been the best since we joined the sec! He has probably singlehandedly put more players into the nfl than most of the current DC s combined!!   He has something to prove! And i believe he'll do it!  Cuz i think we'll keep him well supplied with the athletes to be able to do it with.

Bielema signed a total of 11 defensive players with a 247sports composite rating of 8700 or higher in 5years. Morris has signed 6 of them in only 2 months! That just shows you how pathetic Bielema was!  This is why our defenses were so mediocre is because we didnt get better than "average " players and we sure werent devloping anyone!  That goes for offense and defense in later years. 

I believe our offense will be immediately better than last year. I believe the biggest noticeable difference will be the OL. Simply because they have a good coach!  And they will be much lighter so theyll be less sluggish and able to pick up blocks!  I believe we have the Qbs, WRs,TEs RBs, to be successful as well.  Its not a big stretch to see any of this happening.  And being that our home schedule is quite conducive to us having a good record, its not too far if a stretch to say that with noticeable change on defense, a more than capable offense with vast improvement on OL, for the Hogs to get rather easily to 8-9 wins.  My prediction is 9+  i believe hog fans will be rejoicing at the end of next season, and the momentum along with this staff being full of great recruiters will also bring us the highest rated recruiting class we've ever had!  Watch and see that i am right!

[HogFoo]

I think our class is a lot better than given credit for. I like to look at who offers the guys we get. Of our 10 guys on defense, 247 shows 7 of them with an offer from Bama.

I'd say we did a good job there

totally agree. I believe we have a very good class and will just build on this class in the future, both by winning and having great recruiters on staff. Great closers!

[Vantage 8 dude]

Do u not get it? I mean what I said was pretty plain and simple. I mean all we have are the recruiting sites to see who offers who. Unless you want to attempt to get each recruits phone # and call them and ask who offered them. Other than that, we use the information at hand.

Can't believe u actually needed an explanation there. Sometimes I just shake my head at this place.

All it is, is you didn't agree with me so you made this poor attempt to be a smart a$$

And one thing I do not allow myself to do is get caught up in petty internet disagreements. Therefore I will not open this thread again for the sake of avoiding pettiness so there's a zero % need in you attempting another response to me in this thread. Just move on bc I will never see it

Well if you would go back and CAREFULLY read my comment(s) concerning Alabama's recruiting skills you would very likely see that I was actually agreeing with your observations concerning their recruiting and evaluation of talent. Their abilities are amazing AND the fact that some of the players we recruited (and signed) on defense were also pursued by them makes me feel even better about these kids. Under the circumstances I'm really mystified and puzzled why you would find offense on a point in which you and I apparently agree   Perhaps this is an example of the idea that sometimes the greatest misunderstandings are between those who speak the same language.

[Pig in the Pokey]

Well if you would go back and CAREFULLY read my comment(s) concerning Alabama's recruiting skills you would very likely see that I was actually agreeing with your observations concerning their recruiting and evaluation of talent. Their abilities are amazing AND the fact that some of the players we recruited (and signed) on defense were also pursued by them makes me feel even better about these kids. Under the circumstances I'm really mystified and puzzled why you would find offense on a point in which you and I apparently agree   Perhaps this is an example of the idea that sometimes the greatest misunderstandings are between those who speak the same language.

he clearly says he's done with you and wont see a response, to which YOU reply "well if you go back and CAREFULLY read my comments"... LOL.

Oh the irony.

[Pig in the Pokey]

Chavis is probably the #1 DC of all time that we've ever hired.

I'm not talking about how he is going to do - of course nobody can predict the future - but simply based on history and name appeal Chavis is the best DC we've ever hired.

yep.

[HardingHog]

Just out of curiosity and to see if rankings matter, who were the 11 players CBB got and did they contribute much? This may give a good idea as to how much the new 6 may contribute. I know other factors exist but may be a neat experiment

Class of 2013:
1. Carroll Washington

https://247sports.com/player/carroll-washington-21197

Class of 2014:
2. Bijhon Jackson

https://247sports.com/player/bijhon-jackson-15232

3. Henre' Toliver

https://247sports.com/player/henre-toliver-30523

4. Class of 2015:
Hjalte Froholdt

https://247sports.com/player/hjalte-froholdt-32219

5. Jamario Bell

https://247sports.com/player/jamario-bell-27302

6. Jeremiah Ledbetter

https://247sports.com/player/jeremiah-ledbetter-33909

Class of 2016:
7. McTelvin Agim

https://247sports.com/player/mctelvin-agim-34545

8. Austin Capps

https://247sports.com/player/austin-capps-32515

9. Briston Guidry

https://247sports.com/player/briston-guidry-38635

Class of 2017:
10. Chevin Calloway

https://247sports.com/player/chevin-calloway-78898

11. Montaric Brown

https://247sports.com/player/montaric-brown-88885

[Vantage 8 dude]

he clearly says he's done with you and wont see a response, to which YOU reply "well if you go back and CAREFULLY read my comments"... LOL.

Oh the irony.

I clearly understand that. However, I think most of us are aware that folks don't always stick to their exact vows, especially when it comes to HV. Therefore, I posted JUST IN CASE he might go back to this thread. Besides, never hurts to clarify the reason(s) for my comments just on the off chance.

[cram224]

Living in Ga, I have seen the dawgs in the top ten in recruiting year after year. This years class is only a paper championship. History tells us that Ga is like A&M, they can get all the talent they want but will screw up somewhere every year. They may have missed a good opportunity last year and came up short.

[hogmolar]

Class of 2013:
1. Carroll Washington

https://247sports.com/player/carroll-washington-21197

Class of 2014:
2. Bijhon Jackson

https://247sports.com/player/bijhon-jackson-15232

3. Henre' Toliver

https://247sports.com/player/henre-toliver-30523

4. Class of 2015:
Hjalte Froholdt

https://247sports.com/player/hjalte-froholdt-32219

5. Jamario Bell

https://247sports.com/player/jamario-bell-27302

6. Jeremiah Ledbetter

https://247sports.com/player/jeremiah-ledbetter-33909

Class of 2016:
7. McTelvin Agim

https://247sports.com/player/mctelvin-agim-34545

8. Austin Capps

https://247sports.com/player/austin-capps-32515

9. Briston Guidry

https://247sports.com/player/briston-guidry-38635

Class of 2017:
10. Chevin Calloway

https://247sports.com/player/chevin-calloway-78898

11. Montaric Brown

https://247sports.com/player/montaric-brown-88885

Thank you sir. +1 With the 6 we have added and the experience here we might have a future on the defensive side.  It does make you wonder about the Jamario Bell handling. 

[HognotinMemphis]

-As someone pointed out on MMQB in 5 years BB signed 11 players rated 87 or higher on defense according to 247.  In 2 months Morris signed 6.  Arkansas biggest issue has been defense the last few years.
In the past the "star power" has came more from the offensive side of the ball. 

And people still defending Bielema's recruiting. I don't care what his class ranks were every year. He did not recruit with a plan or intelligently. Thus, his recruiting was terrible. And it certainly showed on defense. And showed in lack of speed. As for star power on offense, show me when Arkansas ever did much on offense in the last 5 years. Never consistent.

[colbs]

And people still defending Bielema's recruiting. I don't care what his class ranks were every year. He did not recruit with a plan or intelligently. Thus, his recruiting was terrible. And it certainly showed on defense. And showed in lack of speed. As for star power on offense, show me when Arkansas ever did much on offense in the last 5 years. Never consistent.

I think biggest problem is he didn't realize the importance of speed until it was to late.  His last couple of classes had more speed but again to late. 

Another thing is he seemed to put all of his eggs in one basket.  They were on some big players but when they didn't get they didn't seem to have a back up plan.  So they offered someone late or just didn't address that position that year.  IMO that is what messed up the OL that last couple of years.  Which seemed to be the main issue with the offense overall. 

I like how Morris is putting a lot more offers out there than the previous staff.  Also the focus on East Texas, Tulsa, and Memphis.  It's a lot easier to get players from there than say Florida.  So If you get 5-8 from Arkansas,  5 or so from Texas, 1-2 from Tulsa, 1-2 Memphis, 1-2 Louisiana, and then the rest from outside those areas.  It seems like the easiest approach to get talent to the Hill but the previous staff for whatever reason didn't focus on Tulsa, East Texas, or Memphis.

[hogmolar]

And people still defending Bielema's recruiting. I don't care what his class ranks were every year. He did not recruit with a plan or intelligently. Thus, his recruiting was terrible. And it certainly showed on defense. And showed in lack of speed. As for star power on offense, show me when Arkansas ever did much on offense in the last 5 years. Never consistent.

I didn't take this as defending his recruiting.  I took it more as Morris has done 1/2 as much in 2 months on the defensive side of the ball as CBB did in 5 years.   

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

It's so funny to see teh booty hurt fans who are mad about Chavis b/c they expected "The #1 DC of all-time" or whatever. I guess they really wanted Venables. Yet, if you are ranking DCs, all-time since Arkansas has been in the SEC, Chavis is a clear #1. And if you rank active DCs, he's a CLEAR top 10 in the country DC. Dude can flat foot get it done and I cant wait to see the product we put on the field.

I know right..? You were only semi violently calling for couch burnings for about 72 hours and then cooled off. These a-holes have more of a slow burn. I'd use you to burn down a house, but I'd choose these other guys to SMOKE MY MEAT...

[liljo]

I know right..? You were only semi violently calling for couch burnings for about 72 hours and then cooled off. These a-holes have more of a slow burn. I'd use you to burn down a house, but I'd choose these other guys to SMOKE MY MEAT...

OTOTL, man, that's a GREAT line! LOL!

[311Hog]

you know i firmly believe we made a serious run at Venables.  I think he was at some point a legit possibility, i mean he is now in rare air in the 2mil assistant club with Clemson i think Clemson just ponied up like Auburn did.

I like Chavis, he brings the wealth of SEC exp that Morris does not have. He brings legitimacy to our defense, i like that Steve is back on the hill.  I think our D will be much improved, and hell it really didn't need to improve a great deal to result in wins.  If we are mid pack D and create alot of turnovers we will be golden.  I have heard tale that Chavis needs solid corners for his scheme to work, i think with this class and the previous class he has good talent to work with in the secondary.

[HognotinMemphis]

you know i firmly believe we made a serious run at Venables.  I think he was at some point a legit possibility, i mean he is now in rare air in the 2mil assistant club with Clemson i think Clemson just ponied up like Auburn did.

I like Chavis, he brings the wealth of SEC exp that Morris does not have. He brings legitimacy to our defense, i like that Steve is back on the hill.  I think our D will be much improved, and hell it really didn't need to improve a great deal to result in wins.  If we are mid pack D and create alot of turnovers we will be golden.  I have heard tale that Chavis needs solid corners for his scheme to work, i think with this class and the previous class he has good talent to work with in the secondary.

One of the more delusional fans here. I have to laugh about the Venables comment and this comment: "I think our D will be much improved, and hell it really didn't need to improve a great deal to result in wins."

The D has no where to go but up after last two seasons being among worst in the country and worst in the 100+ year history of college football. To result in wins, the defense will need at least a couple of years of recruiting to fix itself. Next year not going to be a lot different from this past year.