The Recruiting Guy

Hogs take aim at February targets

Arkansas head coach Chad Morris during pregame before the 4A State Championship in Little Rock. Special to the Democrat-Gazette/JIMMY JONES

Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris and his staff inked eight prospects during the Dec. 20-22 early signing period and will likely add six to eight more on the Feb. 7 signing day.

Morris indicated the number of February signees will be split evenly between offense and defense. The Hogs have five signees on defense and three on offense right now.

Defensive end Nick Fulwider, 6-7, 260 pounds, 4.79 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek signed with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville on Friday; the other seven signed Wednesday.

There are several prospects who Morris and his staff are known to be pursuing.

Athlete Joshua Moore, 6-1, 171, of Yoakum, Texas, has stated plans to officially visit Fayetteville in January. The former Nebraska commitment is a teammate of Hogs offensive line signee Silas Robinson.

Robinson is planning to make an official visit to Arkansas on Jan. 19-21, and there's a possibility Moore could join him. ESPN rates Moore the No. 5 athlete and No. 36 overall prospect.

Moore said the Hogs have indicated he could get a look at cornerback along with receiver.

Texas A&M defensive end commitment Tyree Wilson, 6-5, 235, 4.6, of New London (Texas) West Rusk has given reason to expect him to make an official visit in January.

Owasso (Okla.) defensive end Courtre Alexander has seen his stock rise with recent offers from Arkansas and Texas to go along with others from Tulsa, Memphis and others.

Alexander, 6-5, 260, also plans to visit the Razorbacks next month. He made an official visit to Texas on Dec. 8.

The Hogs are still in the running for Mississippi State safety commitment Myles Mason, who made an official visit to Arkansas on Dec. 15-17.

Mason, 6-2, 205, 4.4, of Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida State, Louisville, Tennessee and others. He plans to makes some visits in January before making a decision.

Linebacker/safety Brian Johnson, 6-2, 205, of Manvel, Texas, is a Texas A&M commitment the Hogs also recently offered. He could be another defender the Razorbacks try and bring in for a visit in January. He might be one of the nation's fastest prospects on defense, with a reported time of 4.2 in the 40 at an University of Texas camp.

Former TCU cornerback commitment Eddie Smith, 6-0, 172, 4.42, of Slidell (La.) Salmen received an offer from the Hogs on Dec. 18, a day after he reopened his recruiting. He's looking to visit Fayetteville in January.

Offensive lineman Ryan Winkel, 6-6, 280, of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis is another prospect planning to officially visit Fayetteville next month. He has scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Virginia, Central Florida and others.

Receiver Tommy Bush, 6-5, 187, 4.47, of Schertz (Texas) Clemens has said he might visit the Razorbacks in January.

Bush has more than 40 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Texas, Southern Cal, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Florida State, Baylor, Alabama and others. He had a prior relationship with Morris while at SMU.

ESPN rates Bush a four-star prospect, the No. 9 receiver and No. 64 overall.

Another receiver to keep an eye on is Oklahoma commitment Treveon Johnson, who didn't sign with the Sooners during the early signing period.

Johnson, 6-1, 179, 4.4, of Brenham, Texas, received an offer from the Hogs shortly after Morris was hired as well as receiver Miles Battle, who was an Oregon commitment until former coach Willie Taggart left for Florida State.

Battle, 6-4, 188, 4.65, of Houston Cypress has scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Nebraska, Auburn, Baylor, TCU, LSU and others.

Manvel, Texas, running back Deneric Prince is committed to Texas A&M but is being pursued by the Hogs. Receiver Jalen Preston, 6-3, 207, received an offer from the Razorbacks on Saturday and is another Texas A&M commitment and a teammate of Prince.

ESPN rates Preston the No. 8 receiver and No. 62 overall prospect.

Texas Tech linebacker commitment Xavier Benson, 6-2, 200, 4.6, of Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas, had an offer from Morris while at SMU and could be another prospect to keep an eye on.

Two Arkansas offensive line commitments, Noah Gatlin, 6-7, 300, of Jonesboro and Luke Jones, 6-5, 290, of Pulaski Academy didn't sign during the early signing period and are obvious targets to sign in February.

Defensive line commitment John Mincey, 6-4, 265, 4.7, of Homerville (Ga.) Clinch County also chose to wait to sign and is a big priority for the Hogs.

Email Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com

Sports on 12/26/2017