FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas wide receiver pledge Koilan Jackson (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) was already very excited about signing with the Razorbacks on Wednesday, but now he is even more pumped.
That’s because fellow Pulaski Robinson standout David Porter (6-3, 240) - a defensive end/linebacker and one of 23 signees/commits in the 2017 class - will be joining him as an Arkansas signee at 3:15.
“Arkansas is getting a kid that comes from a rough background and knows what its like to work and he’s willing to put it his all into people that put their all into him,” Jackson said after Porter’s commit on Sunday. “He’s a young player with a lot of potential.
“And there’s nobody better that you can get to run a 3-4. He’s athletic enough to play linebacker and strong enough to play end.”
Robinson caught 57 passes for 1,206 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season while Porter had 105 tackles, 10 sacks and 24 tackles for lost yardage.
Those two Senators will join sophomore-to-be T.J. Hammonds as former Pulaski Robinson stars on the Arkansas roster.
Hammonds rushed for 88 yards in limited as a true freshman and is expected to spend time at both tailback and in the slot next season.
“We are getting the pipeline going up here,” Jackson said. “Hopefully there will be more on the way.”
Jackson took his official visit on Jan. 20-22 with former Smackover wideout Jordan Jones as his official host.
“It was nice getting to know some more players and learn the atmosphere outside of the school,” Jackson said. “I got to also learn some of my future teammates and that was real cool to get to know them and how they are.
“It kind of gave me a look of who was who. “The one thing I saw is they are not just teammates, they are brothers.”
Arkansas loses Keon Hatcher, Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed and Cody Hollister - who combined for 135 catches and 1,877 yards last season - off its roster.
Jackson, Jones and fellow redshirt Kofi Boateng join the Mississippi Gulf Coast duo of Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance as well as prep stars Jared Barnes of Cabot and DeVion Warren of Louisiana as incoming wideouts.
Holdovers Jared Cornelius, Deon Stewart, LaMichael Pettway and DeVone McClure head up the crew.
“The coaches have told us all to come ready to play,” Jackson said. “A lot of receivers are gone and playing time is available.”