Well, I have another question

[lakecityhog]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

[Hoggie17]

Add Clemson and Va Tech to that list.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Add Clemson and Va Tech to that list.

As far as Clemson goes. There is this new state called GA. Apparently, it produces a few players

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

First off non of those teams you listed have been killing it. Second according to recruiting rankings we out recruit those teams more years than not.

[Hoggie17]

As far as Clemson goes. Their is this new state called GA. Apparently, it produces a few players

Texas is better and we share a border much like SC and Ga share a border.

[sowmonella]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

I hate to burst your bubble but we rank higher than any of these places in recruiting over the past 5 years. Jeez.
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa

[lakecityhog]

How many schools recruit Georgia? 25? 50? 100?
Think about this, the very elite schools recruit the piss out of Georgia because they know about the talent levels there. I think a school called Arkansas has a few kids from that new state.

Nothing more than another excuse. We went right in Miami and Florida's back yard and took Alex Collins.
Will that happen very often? Probably not, but we proved that it can happen.

[bville_hog]

I hate to burst your bubble but we rank higher than any of these places in recruiting over the past 5 years. Jeez.
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa

that is why I am tired of the we suck because we can't recruit talk.  We suck because we do not properly evaluate and develop talent.  Other teams can do this, why can our coaches not?

[sowmonella]

Check out the SOS of each of those teams.

[ricepig]

that is why I am tired of the we suck because we can't recruit talk.  We suck because we do not properly evaluate and develop talent.  Other teams can do this, why can our coaches not?

We just plain ole suck, shut her down, shut it all down.

[kaki]

Lake City, seems you have more of you own opinion, than questions. You use Iowa City, Lincoln and some similar place with programs not that different from ours.  But as far as Iowa and Nebraska, I don't remember them being recruiting powerhouses recently.  Regarding, Clemson, high school football in South Carolina is pretty darn good, plus Clemson Is almost in the state of Georgia, which is flush with players.

[parallaxpig]

that is why I am tired of the we suck because we can't recruit talk.  We suck because we do not properly evaluate and develop talent.  Other teams can do this, why can our coaches not?

woe is me.......

[hawgdavis]

Clemson for those that don't know is in the middle of nowhere and it's better than an hour to just get to Anderson sc and 2 to get to Greenville-Spartinberg. None of witch I would call a metropolis with a big draw.

[sickboy]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

Nobody's saying Arkansas can't recruit on a moderate level. We can. We just can't recruit at the level that most people want and that's on Alabama's level. Arkansas can recruit in the 25-20 range consistently.

[imtad16]

Nobody's saying Arkansas can't recruit on a moderate level. We can. We just can't recruit at the level that most people want and that's on Alabama's level. Arkansas can recruit in the 25-20 range consistently.

Yep. We have been in the 20-30 range for about 17 years straight. Its getting to the 10-20 range or the 5-15 range that is the difficulty for programs with our geography/domographics. Between Nutt, Petrino, and Bielema (which have been our coaches since the rise of the business of recruiting) we almost always have top 30 to 25 classes. Now we just have to either find the formula that will elevate us in the rankings or develop and hit on the right number of players we sign in our top 30 to 25 classes to reach the heights we all want to reach. Unless demographics and populations change in our geography, the latter is probably just our reality. I do believe it can be done though.

[Atlhogfan1]

Clemson for those that don't know is in the middle of nowhere and it's better than an hour to just get to Anderson sc and 2 to get to Greenville-Spartinberg. None of witch I would call a metropolis with a big draw.

Clemson = Auburn in terms of recruiting situation. This is one of those threads where some will be in denial about our situation. (OP)

[31to6]

Clemson = Auburn in terms of recruiting situation. This is one of those threads where some will be in denial about our situation. (OP)

Clemson has a better recruiting territory than Arkansas. Pre-Dabo their recruiting was about like ours due to mediocre coaching. But, being 120 miles from Atlanta is a huge advantage. Plus, *lots* of Georgians attend Clemson which gives them a strong alumni base in the state. They also benefit from being better than the best teams in TN, NC & SC. Although outside the 200 mile circle, Florida is close enough to pull some recruits out of as well.

But Dabo is also an exceptional coach, who has them punching above their weight, both on the recruiting trail and on the field. His next two classes both have the #1 overall QB, both of whom are from neighboring states (TN and GA).

I think Arkansas could have better recruiting under a staff with better recruiters, but we do have a geographical disadvantage that is not easy to overcome.

CBB has proven he can go get coveted players from out of state. But he is losing far too many of those battles to change the dynamic. Stability helps recruiting, as the coaches develop stronger relationships. Winning games will help some. Upgrading the recruiting on the staff will help even more.

But don't expect a Clemson-like turnaround. Upgrading to pressing in on top-15 classes when the in-state talent spikes would reasonable to hope for.

[ricepig]

Clemson has a better recruiting territory than Arkansas. Being Pre-Dabo their recruiting was about like ours due to mediocre coaching. But, being 120 miles from Atlanta is a huge advantage. Plus, *lots* of Georgians attend Clemson which gives them a strong alumni base in the state. They also benefit from being better than the best teams in TN, NC & SC. Although outside the 200 mile circle, Florida is close enough to pull some recruits out of as well.

But Dabo is also an exceptional coach, who has them punching above their weight, both on the recruiting trail and on the field. His next two classes both have the #1 overall QB, both of whom are from neighboring states (TN and GA).

I think Arkansas could have better recruiting under a staff with better recruiters, but we do have a geographical disadvantage that is not easy to overcome.

CBB has proven he can go get coveted players from out of state. But he is losing far too many of those battles to change the dynamic. Stability helps recruiting, as the coaches develop stronger relationships. Winning games will help some. Upgrading the recruiting on the staff will help even more.

But don't expect a Clemson-like turnaround. Upgrading to pressing in on top-15 classes when the in-state talent spikes would reasonable to hope for.

Way too much logic is this post for this thread.......just foam at the mouth and say "crootin"......

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

And pretty much none of your cited examples are programs that are much different than we are.  You've picked programs we are already level with...NE, IA, MSU, Utah, Baylor, etc...  That's great if you want to stay at that level.

Why not use Athens or Baton Rouge or Gainesville or Tuscaloosa as examples? 

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Clemson = Auburn in terms of recruiting situation. This is one of those threads where some will be in denial about our situation. (OP)

Bingo.  Comparing Clemson to UA is not apples to apples. 

[razorback44]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

When we start playing in a conference with those schools then we can worry about what they're doing.  Our issue is beating the teams in the recruiting rankings that are located in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas which are all major hotbeds of talent.  Trying to compare our situation to Iowa or Oklahoma State is pointless.

[aloha_kid]

Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards.

He got fired with that SEC talent and standards.  BTW his last 2 years: 8 - 14.  In 5 years, he had three 4 - 7 seasons.  Tell me again about that talent and standards.

[ricepig]

He got fired with that SEC talent and standards.  BTW his last 2 years: 8 - 14.  In 5 years, he had three 4 - 7 seasons.  Tell me again about that talent and standards.

What freshmen played significant roles in 98?

[ChicoHog]

Clemson has a better recruiting territory than Arkansas. Pre-Dabo their recruiting was about like ours due to mediocre coaching. But, being 120 miles from Atlanta is a huge advantage. Plus, *lots* of Georgians attend Clemson which gives them a strong alumni base in the state. They also benefit from being better than the best teams in TN, NC & SC. Although outside the 200 mile circle, Florida is close enough to pull some recruits out of as well.

But Dabo is also an exceptional coach, who has them punching above their weight, both on the recruiting trail and on the field. His next two classes both have the #1 overall QB, both of whom are from neighboring states (TN and GA).

I think Arkansas could have better recruiting under a staff with better recruiters, but we do have a geographical disadvantage that is not easy to overcome.

CBB has proven he can go get coveted players from out of state. But he is losing far too many of those battles to change the dynamic. Stability helps recruiting, as the coaches develop stronger relationships. Winning games will help some. Upgrading the recruiting on the staff will help even more.

But don't expect a Clemson-like turnaround. Upgrading to pressing in on top-15 classes when the in-state talent spikes would reasonable to hope for.

Great post although I don't know if Dabo is an exceptional coach.  He is an exceptional recruiter and has hired great assistant coaches.  He seems like BB as more of a CEO guy than a hands on guy and he does a great job at it.

[Piggfoot]

The OP needs to go back to flipping burgers. The information is comparing apples to oranges.

[31to6]

Great post although I don't know if Dabo is an exceptional coach.  He is an exceptional recruiter and has hired great assistant coaches.  He seems like BB as more of a CEO guy than a hands on guy and he does a great job at it.

Recruiting and identifying, hiring, retaining and managing a staff are a big part of being a great head coach.

He built Clemson from a solid but so-so "has been" program to a top-tier program regularly winning conference championships and competing at the national level.

Results speak for themselves.

[Oklahawg]

The OP needs to go back to flipping burgers. The information is comparing apples to oranges.

Too many need to let go of the angst-ridden posts. Find a hobby. Enjoy the NFL playoffs. Prepare for your rotisserie baseball teams. Begin a workout program at a nearby gym.

Show up on signing day to collect the names, then disappear again until the spring game. Disappear again until August 1. Not much was going to change once the die was cast following TCU (when the template for beating UA was first galvanized) and certainly by A&M. Nothing will change going forward save the pending coaching moves (gasp, what if there aren't any?) and player additions/subtractions. 

We will have too many OPs like this one between now and August 1. Too many regurgitating old arguments (and too many people like me trying to help everyone ride out the storm) or repeating the same ole same ole. I get it. Can't say I'm pleased, but I do see a bigger picture here.

[hobhog]

Too many need to let go of the angst-ridden posts. Find a hobby. Enjoy the NFL playoffs. Prepare for your rotisserie baseball teams. Begin a workout program at a nearby gym.

Show up on signing day to collect the names, then disappear again until the spring game. Disappear again until August 1. Not much was going to change once the die was cast following TCU (when the template for beating UA was first galvanized) and certainly by A&M. Nothing will change going forward save the pending coaching moves (gasp, what if there aren't any?) and player additions/subtractions. 

We will have too many OPs like this one between now and August 1. Too many regurgitating old arguments (and too many people like me trying to help everyone ride out the storm) or repeating the same ole same ole. I get it. Can't say I'm pleased, but I do see a bigger picture here.

Bingo.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Who started this absolute BULL of Arkansas having "built-in" recruiting disadvantages?
That is nothing more than a crappy excuse!

I hear about this 200 mile circle and not enough people of race and other such nonsense.

Fayetteville, Arkansas
Lincoln, Nebraska
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Waco, Texas
Starkville, Mississippi
Salt Lake City, Utah
Iowa City, Iowa
And so many others

If coaches can recruit to those places surely we can recruit to Fayetteville! Folks I have been to Lansing, Michigan and the 3 or 4 feet of snow that blows in every year is one of the best things there.

We have football facilities to rival any in the SEC. We are putting more and more kids into the NFL than ever before.
Players are almost guaranteed academic success if they will make an honest effort. Jobs after football are plentiful. Northwest Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in America.

Are we ever going to out recruit Alabama or Florida? Doubtful, but we have to start out-recruiting Miss State and Ole Miss and South Carolina first. Win, recruit better, win more, recruit even better and grow the program.
Danny Ford recruited SEC talent and helped build Arkansas up to SEC standards. If he can do it other coaches can do it.

EVERY time a Razorback fan throws that crap out there it just reinforces to our coaches that we don't expect them to recruit better. We make their excuse for them!

I will tell you 1 thing about Starkville Mississippi since y'all don't really know. NE MS is a huge "Small Town" area. Tupelo has appx 30k and Columbus has appx 18K. Tupelo's transient population is about 95K because so many people work, shop and eat there. Starkville is growing into a major pop hub because of the school and it's attraction of industrial/technical jobs. People here are all MSU, Bama and then UM. My son plays for Amory High School and with only a student pop of 300 there are 4 legit D1 prospects in each Senior class. My son is limited by his 5' 7" height and see's little playing time. My brother @ White Hall was a 4 year starter at the same height; they both play OG... You cannot go to any game at any of the 3a or under schools in the area without seeing D1 talent. Then you factor in the big schools, and this is a talent rich place. MSU, UM and Bama are getting theirs out of here. Arkansas could too. Kids and HS coaches here respect Arkansas and would welcome our coaches with eagerness... Someone should be getting into these places...

[RazorPiggie]

Texas is better and we share a border much like SC and Ga share a border.

Just stop.

[NotSoFastMyFriend]

Nothing more than another excuse. We went right in Miami and Florida's back yard and took Alex Collins.
Will that happen very often? Probably not, but we proved that it can happen.

So, Florida is within 200 miles of campus, or...?

[hawgdavis]

Just stop.

Ga produces almost as many players as Texas with one exception the boys from Ga play a more physcal brand of ball and it's been proven a couple of times when top teams from Ga went to Texas and beat their top teams. One of the most recent was Buford Ga went out there and hammered the defending state champ in there same classification ( don't remember the school but can look it up) teams from Ga regularly play teams from all over and beat them regularly. Pretty easy to figure it out when you go to the games in Ga and see the brand of physical football they play down here and then look around and see the sissy ball played in other regions. The only state that plays Ga evenly is Florida they also play that brand of ball down there. I stated in another thread the Hogs need to spend more time in recruiting Ga. The problem UGA has is they don't go after enough of the players they have within 75 miles of Athens but look elsewhere and it's mindboggling to me, for example Chuck Smith - Athens just one of Countlless many from Athens , Eric Berry- Lawerenceville 40 miles , Terry Allen Commerce Ga 18 miles ,Deshawn Watson Gainesville Ga 35,  miles , hell they just need to recruit Buford's graduating class every year and they will win 10 games a year. My real point is Ga is loaded with real studs that are ready to play.

[hawginbigd1]

Check out the SOS of each of those teams.

Oh these kinds of glaring, huge, and highly important facts don't matter to these fools! That is just another excuse! Waaaaa Baylor has more wins, they only play 2 or 3 real games a year if that but that doesn't matter in their bubble!

We could have Baylors 9-10 win seasons, I would rather fight scratch, and claw to the top against the best, than live like kings against the weak! But alas I am not a loser!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Clemson has a better recruiting territory than Arkansas. Pre-Dabo their recruiting was about like ours due to mediocre coaching. But, being 120 miles from Atlanta is a huge advantage. Plus, *lots* of Georgians attend Clemson which gives them a strong alumni base in the state. They also benefit from being better than the best teams in TN, NC & SC. Although outside the 200 mile circle, Florida is close enough to pull some recruits out of as well.

But Dabo is also an exceptional coach, who has them punching above their weight, both on the recruiting trail and on the field. His next two classes both have the #1 overall QB, both of whom are from neighboring states (TN and GA).

I think Arkansas could have better recruiting under a staff with better recruiters, but we do have a geographical disadvantage that is not easy to overcome.

CBB has proven he can go get coveted players from out of state. But he is losing far too many of those battles to change the dynamic. Stability helps recruiting, as the coaches develop stronger relationships. Winning games will help some. Upgrading the recruiting on the staff will help even more.

But don't expect a Clemson-like turnaround. Upgrading to pressing in on top-15 classes when the in-state talent spikes would reasonable to hope for.

I agree with this. I think that our recruiting has been improving by smaller steps, which of course means it will take more time to get more of the talent base that we need. And, having a respectable record while playing in the SEC West is a good thing but losing 4 (at least 3) games the way we did this season doesn't help recruiting. If you are in the running for a highly sought after recruit(s) who might be an impact player for you, that "we expect you to see early playing time" thing only goes so far. If you are a team who is developing a reputation for "tanking" when the pressure is on, while there are also questions floating around about the stability and quality of your staff, it can't help recruiting at all.

With the overall priorities and goals that this program and administration have right now I can see us being a 7-8 win team every year on average with the occasional step up to perhaps 9 or 10 wins and the occasional dip to 5-6 wins. Before we ever become a team that is a consistent 9-10 win team on average, a lot of things have to change and it doesn't just start with the coaching staff or recruiting. And I am not talking about wholesale personnel changes, I'm talking about a change in overall philosophy as it relates to priorities and goals. JMO

[BILLYBOB]

Ask yourself...and try to be really objective...if your son was a 4-5 star rated stud and you had no personal connection to the Razorbacks, why would you suggest your boy choose Arkansas over any of historically top NCAA Football programs?

Coaching?
Facilities?
Academics?
Tradition?
The local community?
Preparation for the NFL?
Opportunity to win championship?
Early playing time?
Opportunity to red shirt?

I love the razorbacks. But compared to schools like Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, and Florida State aren't we pretty average? I'm thankful we get the boys we get.

[Dumb ole famrboy]

42% (just slightly less than half) of the enrollment at the University of Arkansas are out of State students. The largest number of out of state students come from Texas. In 2014 25% of the UofA freshmen were from the State of Texas.  Also had significant enrollment from Oklahoma 4.5%, Kansas 4.5% and Missouri 7%.

Besides the State of Arkansas these are the areas where our alumni base is strongest. 25% of the University's enrollment comes from the State of Texas and the 2017 class only has 1 recruit committed from the state. Are we ignoring our strengths?

[Steef]

Ask yourself...and try to be really objective...if your son was a 4-5 star rated stud and you had no personal connection to the Razorbacks, why would you suggest your boy choose Arkansas over any of historically top NCAA Football programs?

Coaching?
Facilities?
Academics?
Tradition?
The local community?
Preparation for the NFL?
Opportunity to win championship?
Early playing time?
Opportunity to red shirt?

I love the razorbacks. But compared to schools like Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, and Florida State aren't we pretty average? I'm thankful we get the boys we get.

Jerry Rice went to Mississippi Valley State. He turned out okay.

If your kid truly has NFL potential, it will likely show.

There's also the old adage...   Big fish in a little pond ...vs... big fish in a shark tank.

How many 4 stars sitting on Bama's bench, watching a five star play?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Jerry Rice went to Mississippi Valley State. He turned out okay.

If your kid truly has NFL potential, it will likely show.

There's also the old adage...   Big fish in a little pond ...vs... big fish in a shark tank.

How many 4 stars sitting on Bama's bench, watching a five star play?

That's a good example, Steef. For Rice, like so many under-evaluated players who end up being very successful, he landed in the right spot at the right time.

Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University from 1981 to 1984. He became a standout receiver and acquired the nickname "World" due to "his ability to catch anything near him."[6] In 1982, Rice played his first season with redshirt freshman quarterback Willie Totten.[6] Rice caught 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore that year.[7] Together, Totten and Rice became known as "The Satellite Express" and set numerous NCAA records in the spread offense of coach Archie Cooley, nicknamed "The Gunslinger."[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice

He was lucky, but he made the most of his opportunity. Still, how many turn out to be that good having risen from the lower levels of college football? What if he hadn't gone to a school whose offense helped showcase his talents?

[Steef]

That's a good example, Steef. For Rice, like so many under-evaluated players who end up being very successful, he landed in the right spot at the right time.

Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University from 1981 to 1984. He became a standout receiver and acquired the nickname "World" due to "his ability to catch anything near him."[6] In 1982, Rice played his first season with redshirt freshman quarterback Willie Totten.[6] Rice caught 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore that year.[7] Together, Totten and Rice became known as "The Satellite Express" and set numerous NCAA records in the spread offense of coach Archie Cooley, nicknamed "The Gunslinger."[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice

He was lucky, but he made the most of his opportunity. Still, how many turn out to be that good having risen from the lower levels of college football? What if he hadn't gone to a school whose offense helped showcase his talents?

Well, there are always Combines.

Thing is...we arent Miss Valley State. And a Jerry Rice caliber player is likely to see the field with us, as much if not more, than at Bama.

Real point...if he's good enough for the NFL, playing for us isnt gonna hurt his chances.

[The_Iceman]

In the last 15 years, we have never been near the top of the SEC without the assistance of a huge uptick in instate recruiting. Petrino benefitted from the best instate class in a decade, plus a once in a generation talent in Mallett who grew up a Hog fan.

[BILLYBOB]

Well, there are always Combines.

Thing is...we arent Miss Valley State. And a Jerry Rice caliber player is likely to see the field with us, as much if not more, than at Bama.

Real point...if he's good enough for the NFL, playing for us isnt gonna hurt his chances.

Jerry Rice went to Mississippi Valley State. He turned out okay.

If your kid truly has NFL potential, it will likely show.

There's also the old adage...   Big fish in a little pond ...vs... big fish in a shark tank.

How many 4 stars sitting on Bama's bench, watching a five star play?


[/

Well, there are always Combines.

Thing is...we arent Miss Valley State. And a Jerry Rice caliber player is likely to see the field with us, as much if not more, than at Bama.

Real point...if he's good enough for the NFL, playing for us isnt gonna hurt his chances.

No, you're completely wrong.  The people you play with and practice with and live with make an enormous difference in your long term success, in any life endeavor.  If you're a stud receiver but you don't have a decent quarterback to throw the ball, you will never have the chance to showcase your skills. Can you overcome a crappy quarterback?  Sure, but it's going to make achieving your goals much harder AND you will be frustrated AND you'll probably lose a lot,

Yes, guys like Jerry Rice do come out of no where. But most people would simply not choose the route he took. For most people, all the things I listed do matter.

The fact is, we've all been watching razorback football for a very long time and we've never had great recruiting classes. At some point, as Bill Parcells says, you are what your record says you are. We are not a destination for great football players with options.

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

This whole topic is a fail.

We recruit better than all those schools, but we also play much harder competition than all of them except for frequent sec west cellar dwellers Miss State.
Ok St recruiting is worse at recruiting then us but they have a better coach and much easier strength of schedule.

[Hawg Life]

I will tell you 1 thing about Starkville Mississippi since y'all don't really know. NE MS is a huge "Small Town" area. Tupelo has appx 30k and Columbus has appx 18K. Tupelo's transient population is about 95K because so many people work, shop and eat there. Starkville is growing into a major pop hub because of the school and it's attraction of industrial/technical jobs. People here are all MSU, Bama and then UM. My son plays for Amory High School and with only a student pop of 300 there are 4 legit D1 prospects in each Senior class. My son is limited by his 5' 7" height and see's little playing time. My brother @ White Hall was a 4 year starter at the same height; they both play OG... You cannot go to any game at any of the 3a or under schools in the area without seeing D1 talent. Then you factor in the big schools, and this is a talent rich place. MSU, UM and Bama are getting theirs out of here. Arkansas could too. Kids and HS coaches here respect Arkansas and would welcome our coaches with eagerness... Someone should be getting into these places...

Not to mention South Panola, Olive Branch, and Memphis are are an hour away.

[King Kong]

Texas is better and we share a border much like SC and Ga share a border.

The U of A ia not as close the the talent rich parts of TX as Clemson is to GA.

[Arthur pigby sellers.]

The U of A ia not as close the the talent rich parts of TX as Clemson is to GA.

Yeah I think Clemson is about 2 hrs from Atlanta while Fayetteville is 5 hrs from Dallas which is a big difference. Also S Carolina has much more talent than Arkansas even when you split it between 2 schools. People seem to think that Clemson just started recruiting well with Dabo but that's untrue. They have been out recruiting us for many years.

[Athog]

Yep. We have been in the 20-30 range for about 17 years straight. Its getting to the 10-20 range or the 5-15 range that is the difficulty for programs with our geography/domographics. Between Nutt, Petrino, and Bielema (which have been our coaches since the rise of the business of recruiting) we almost always have top 30 to 25 classes. Now we just have to either find the formula that will elevate us in the rankings or develop and hit on the right number of players we sign in our top 30 to 25 classes to reach the heights we all want to reach. Unless demographics and populations change in our geography, the latter is probably just our reality. I do believe it can be done though.

Plus 1

[bennyl08]

That's a good example, Steef. For Rice, like so many under-evaluated players who end up being very successful, he landed in the right spot at the right time.

Rice attended Mississippi Valley State University from 1981 to 1984. He became a standout receiver and acquired the nickname "World" due to "his ability to catch anything near him."[6] In 1982, Rice played his first season with redshirt freshman quarterback Willie Totten.[6] Rice caught 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore that year.[7] Together, Totten and Rice became known as "The Satellite Express" and set numerous NCAA records in the spread offense of coach Archie Cooley, nicknamed "The Gunslinger."[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rice

He was lucky, but he made the most of his opportunity. Still, how many turn out to be that good having risen from the lower levels of college football? What if he hadn't gone to a school whose offense helped showcase his talents?

As of week one in the NFL, 196 players from FCS on NFL rosters, 141 players on active rosters.

http://herosports.com/news/ncaa-fcs-mens-football/fcs-players-in-the-nfl-joe-flacco-julius-thomas-dominique-rodgers-cromartie#1

You could build a solid roster in the NFL from only FCS schools.

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/09/which_colleges_and_conferences.html

More players from the FCS than the big 12. Throw in division 2 and 3 schools and you have more than the PAC12 as well.

Now, obviously I am comparing entire divisions of competition to a single conference. However, there are enough players from the lower levels that I think it's safe to say, if you make some noise, people in the NFL will at least listen.

The better question, IMO, is how much noise do you have to make and how much of a chicken/egg scenario are we dealing with. I.e. do fewer players come out of the lower divisions than the FBS because fewer talented players slip through the recruiting cracks, or do fewer players come out because the NFL doesn't listen as closely? Given the high correlation to draft picks with stars, I feel safe in assuming that the overwhelming factor in fewer per capita draft picks is reflective of few players slipping through the cracks. However, NFL not listening as closely to the lower levels likely is a factor as well. For example, if Trey Flowers played at Coastal Carolina instead of Arkansas, I have no doubt he'd still be in the NFL today same as him coming to Arkansas, save for maybe being drafted slightly later. However, I can't say the same for somebody like Derby. First, if he was in that lower level, he may never have changed from qb. How often do you see qb to TE switches from the FCS in the NFL? If he followed a similar path and played TE well his senior season in the FCS, there's a decent chance he could have made it as an undrafted free agent somewhere, but that doesn't carry the weight of being a draft pick. When he was injured in the preseason, he might have been able stick around for year 2 where he gets traded to the Broncos and does well.

[bennyl08]

Spark notes version

If you are a top talent, there's a substantial number of FCS and lower players in the NFL, and you will make it to the NFL regardless. However, you are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt if you are a borderline NFL talent or making/recently made a position change coming from a power 5 school.

[elviscat]

Look what Bob Stoop has done in Oklahoma, it has the same dynamics's that we have in AR. He has been there for 18 years. He goes out and builds a relationship with the high school coaches in Texas and he loads up with his players, we use to do it under Broyles, Hatfield, Holtz, and Danny Ford. It's all about relationships and we are not getting the job done.We have recruited one kid in the top 100 in Texas last year. Uncommon is not working. We need to load our staff with coaches from Texas, La. Fa. Ga. and start building relationship in those state.

[ricepig]

Look what Bob Stoop has done in Oklahoma, it has the same dynamics's that we have in AR. He has been there for 18 years. He goes out and builds a relationship with the high school coaches in Texas and he loads up with his players, we use to do it under Broyles, Hatfield, Holtz, and Danny Ford. It's all about relationships and we are not getting the job done.We have recruited one kid in the top 100 in Texas last year. Uncommon is not working. We need to load our staff with coaches from Texas, La. Fa. Ga. and start building relationship in those state.

Lol, Holtz didn't build any relationships with high school coaches.