When it comes to Arkansas' successful 2019 recruiting class, you can look back to the prospect days of Feb. 11 and Feb. 24 in 2018 that gave the Razorbacks real momentum.
About a dozen of Arkansas' 27 signees were on campus those two days and it sparked the haul.
We may look back and see March 9th as one of the days that does the same for the 2020 class.
Arkansas coaches will welcome some 50-plus prospects from seven different states in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 classes Saturday.
"Our approach, any time we have a prospect on campus, is that we are going to treat them as if we are never going to have them on campus again so we want to show them everything that we have," Arkansas defensive backs coach Mark Smith said. "We have two goals really when we have somebody on campus.
"Number one, make sure they leave here with a better understanding of what we have to offer in a short amount of time. And then, number two, is that they have a strong desire to come back because we are all about the relationships.
"We want them to feel comfortable and come back again and again and again and be able to develop that relationship."
Saturday's unofficial guests include Arkansas wide receiver commit Ze'Vian Capers (6-4, 200) of Alpharetta, Ga., Denmark as well as Razorback in-state offers such in 2020 products Bryant linebacker Catrell Wallace (6-5, 210), Jonesboro defensive end Jashaud Stewart (6-2, 218), Hazen defensive end Blayne Toll (6-6, 242) and 2022 tailback offer James Jointer (6-1, 185) of Little Rock Parkview.
A majority of the prospects scheduled to be on hand on Saturday are Texas products. Arkansas plans to continue recruiting hard in the Lone Star State.
Arkansas would love to land Carthage offensive lineman Ty'kieast Crawford (6-5, 318), the Lufkin duo of wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk (6-2, 218) and safety Jerrin Thompson (6-0, 172), Round Rock wide receiver Collin Sullivan (6-1, 184) and Waco Connally offensive lineman Trent Pullen (6-3, 275) as well as other Texas prospects expected to be in Fayetteville this weekend.
The Razorbacks have shown their commitment to recruiting the Memphis area with a couple of signees in the 2019 class, several offers in the 2020 class and the hiring of Memphis native Kenny Ingram as the new defensive line coach.
Some of the top Bluff City prospects slated to visit on Saturday are Memphis Whitehaven linebackers Martavius French (6-2, 210) and Bryson Eason (6-2, 220), who both have several SEC offers, as well as Memphis Freedom Prep Academy offensive lineman Chris Morris (6-4, 287). Morris will be on campus for the fifth time in the past year.
They also plan to continue to invest in Oklahoma. Broken Arrow cornerback Myles Slusher (6-0, 181), Owasso tailback Isaiah Jacobs (5-10, 185) and Tulsa Edison tailback Sevion Morrison (6-0, 195) will be on campus this weekend.
Arkansas has had some success in Missouri and will get an opportunity to entertain one of the state's best in defensive end Kevon Billingsley (6-5, 260) of St. Louis Parkway North.
Razorback head coach Chad Morris has made it clear what he considers the program's footprint in terms of recruiting.
"(Recruiting those areas) will be important each and every year," Morris said. "When you look at the success of Razorback football back when it was at the pinnacle of its time, it had a great mixture."
"Obviously you won the state of Arkansas with your players, you had players from Memphis, Tulsa and you really had a good mixture of guys from the state of Texas.
"Now add that in with some Louisiana and Missouri, then you build your roster off of it."
Sports on 03/07/2019