No weekend off for recruiting Arkansas coaches

Arkansas defensive assistant coach Mark Smith catches a football during warmups prior to the Razorbacks' game against Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Starkville, Miss.

While Arkansas may not have a game on Saturday, Razorbacks coaches don’t have the weekend off.

All of Arkansas' assistants will be on the recruiting trail Friday and Saturday to see as many prospects as possible in game action, according to defensive backs coach Mark Smith.

“We want to get the logo out in front of as many young men as we can and be at as many games as we can,” Smith said. “That is important, to have that Hog out there at as many games as we possibly can on Fridays and Saturdays. They do notice, they notice the things we are doing and the direction our program is going and the good things we are doing.

“We can’t talk to them because it is an evaluation period, but they definitely know that we are there. We can text message them and have them call you during the week. They know our plans when we are going to be there.”

The Razorbacks (2-3, 0-2 SEC) are coming off a 31-27 loss to then-No. 23 Texas A&M in the Southwest Classic in Arlington, Texas. 

Arkansas led 27-24 entering the fourth quarter of a game in which it showed much improvement following an embarrassing home loss to San Jose State the week before.

The feedback from recruits has been good, said Smith, whose program has 15 pledges in its 2020 recruiting class.

“It’s been really good and I felt like it was good even two weeks ago,” he added. “The guys that we are talking to are guys that we have relationships with that have been built over a long period of time. There is a trust factor with them. That is something that we continue to emphasize and hope to continue to build on.”

Arkansas was the home team in the Southwest Classic this season and was able to host unofficial visitors and give recruits tickets to the game.

“There were a lot of positives that you can take away from it and that was good for recruits to see,” Smith said. “We had several of the guys that we are recruiting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that made the trip to Arlington and saw the game. The feedback has been good from the recruits.”

Arkansas’ next home game is against Auburn on Oct. 19. Six official visitors are expected, as well as numerous prospects on unofficials.

The official visitors should include the Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven duo of Razorbacks linebacker pledge Martavius French (6-2, 240), linebacker Bryson Eason (6-3, 250), who are visiting Tennessee this weekend along with teammate and Mississippi State safety commit Tamarion McDonald (6-2, 220).

Eason is down to Arkansas and Tennessee, and McDonald is hoping for an offer from the Razorbacks to go with one from the Volunteers that he received last weekend.



Arkansas is expected to host defensive end commit Jashaud Stewart (6-2, 224) of Jonesboro, Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul’s Episcopal offensive lineman Brady Ward (6-7, 310) and cornerback Dwight McGlothern (6-1, 180) of Spring (Texas) Klein Oak.

“That is one that we have kind of marked on our calendar to get a lot of guys to visit and we will have a lot of big-time players at that game,” Smith said. “We don’t know the time yet, but I think it is going to be an incredible environment and a great opportunity to showcase what we have here.

“We will be able to show off the stadium and allow them to have a look around town when there is a big game going on.”

Arkansas would like to sign 25 players in the 2020 class, but there are not enough current scholarships to do so.

“That is always kind of a moving target with where that goes over the years and if I say something it will end up being something different,” Smith said. “But I do expect it to be in the neighborhood of 22-23 guys that we could bring in with this class.”