The opportunity to play football and get an education is what it should always be about because most kids never get the opportunity to play college football on any level.
As of this writing, it appears Arkansas Tech is the place where most homegrown boys are going to play football and get their education, especially those majoring in engineering.
The Wonder Boys signed 21 Arkansas kids Wednesday.
Ouachita Baptist signed 18 in-state players and Lyon College, which will have a football team next season after a 63-year hiatus, signed 17.
The Arkansas Razorbacks were also busy scooping up local talent and had nine in-state signees. Bret Bielema wanted to make it 10 but lost a top recruit to Ohio State. Bielema called the young man Wednesday morning and wished him luck.
Arkansas State signed five in-state players (and they also took seven junior college players).
The Razorbacks signed another 15 players, and despite losing K.J. Hill -- who, through no doing of his own, is surrounded by contention because of rumors of how and why he transferred from Bryant High School to North Little Rock two years ago -- it was a really solid class.
Most folks who rank recruiting had the Hogs around No. 22 or No. 23 in the nation.
For those who like to drink from a half-full glass, they were No. 10 in the SEC, which had nine teams in the top 20.
If I ranked recruiting classes, I'd come back and regrade the class after three or four years. Injuries, academics and other things often take a toll on a recruiting class, plus there are some players who aren't as good as those doing the ranking thought, and some are better.
So it was with some caution that it was written that the Razorbacks' newest set of football players is a solid class.
Bielema and his staff managed to sign seven four-star recruits, the most since 2009 when Houston Nutt landed eight and added a five-star recruit to raise expectations for the No. 16-ranked Hogs.
That was far from the most productive class in Razorbacks history; in fact, it probably has disappointed more than North Little Rock High School, a public school that runs off tax dollars, has in responding to inquiries about its head football coach.
In addition to the seven four-star players the Hogs most recently signed, five others were just a fraction away from having a four-star rating.
Bielema and Co. continued to have success in Florida, getting four out of the Sunshine State.
They also got four out of Texas. They would have liked more from there and Louisiana, where they got one player. Louisiana produces the second-most NFL players of any state, based on population.
The Hogs signed 13 defensive players and 11 offensive players, although three of those were tight ends. One is also a defensive end, and with a few pounds of muscle he could help out sooner than later.
As expected, the Razorbacks got four offensive linemen who are already big but will get bigger and better, something that will be a tradition with Bielema.
The Razorbacks recruited and signed only one quarterback, Ty Storey, who like seven other players enrolled at UA last month and will get to go through spring practice and participate in Ben Herbert's strength and conditioning program.
All in all, it was a pretty typical national signing date.
Phones started ringing around 5 a.m. as high school seniors decided where they would play the next four years and get their education, and that's the main thing about attending college.
Everyone helped themselves Wednesday, but most won't know how much for three or four years.
Sports on 02/05/2015