State's '22 class worth watching

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ football program took a step forward Wednesday when it landed the signatures of 23 prospects on national letters of intent, including two large defensive tackles going public with their decisions and pushing the class across the finish line with momentum.

How big a step forward will be properly judged later as usual, not on the day when nearly every college football coach in America trots out the “we got better today” phrase.

What we can judge it by now is how the big three recruiting services see it: 20th nationally by the 247Sports composite rankings, 22nd by Rivals and 23rd by ESPN.

The two defensive line additions were Atlanta Tri-Cities star Cameron Ball (6-5, 300 pounds) and Jones (Miss.) College standout Jalen Williams (6-3, 310), the nation’s top junior college defensive tackle prospect.

Ball, the nation’s 39th-best defensive tackle per ESPN, chose Arkansas over Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Michigan State and others.

Williams turned away Georgia, Florida State, Ole Miss, Colorado, Memphis, Washington State and others in favor of the Razorbacks.

Ranked as the sixth-best junior college player overall, Williams is one of 10 early enrollees who are slated to be on campus in January and thus able to go through offseason conditioning and spring practice.

I don’t care how big a sourpuss you are or how much you love waking up with something to gripe about, you have to admit that’s a solid job by a coaching staff that has changed the direction of the program from trending down to up in the past 365 days.

That’s not to say everything’s cool, the program is headed for the top of the SEC and it’s nothing but sunshine, rainbows and unicorns from this point on.

But there is hope as Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and his staff have infused in the program.

“I think that’s probably the message that you give to every single class, no matter where you’re at,” Pittman said. “Because if you don’t give them hope that they have a possibility to play, you know, then you’re probably not recruiting them as high as they want to be. We certainly need guys to come in here and help us.”

Pittman made it clear that being in the 20s and seventh or eighth in the league is not going to shoot you up the SEC ladder. But considering the shape the program was in when Pittman and his assistants arrived, it’s a good sign. The two previous staffs did not leave the cupboard full.

You have to walk before you can run. With three SEC wins this season, they are moving much faster than the last three seasons. I would even say they are at least upright and moving in the right direction.

It might not be hammer down in the left lane yet, but at least not in the right lane with the right blinker going.

I expect the Razorbacks will increase their win total next season with it not hurting to have somewhere between 15-25 more bowl and/or spring practices than this season’s team got to prepare for a 10-game SEC gauntlet.

But the biggest victory during that time will likely be putting a fence up around the state and keeping the members of the vaunted 2022 in-state class home, which is arguably the best in-state class since 2008.

That 2008 class was highlighted by Joe Adams, Chris Gragg, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, Tyler Wilson and Dennis Johnson, and numbered 14 in-state signees by the Hogs.

Arkansas has offered nine in-state prospects in the 2022 class, all nine in the top 50 nationally at their positions.

The class has a little bit for everyone and already numbers a pair of commits in Greenland defensive end JJ Hollingsworth (6-4, 250) and DeWitt tight end Dax Courtney (6-6, 210).

It has two offensive linemen the entire SEC and many others are after in Joe T. Robinson’s E’Marion Harris (6-5, 307) and Maumelle’s Andrew Chamblee (6-6, 284).

There’s a pair of play-making wide receivers in Clarendon’s Quincy McAdoo (6-3, 175) and Fayetteville’s Isaiah Sategna (5-11, 170) and a game-breaking tailback in Little Rock Parkview’s James Jointer (6-0, 205).

McAdoo cut his list to five on Wednesday with Arkansas, Oklahoma, Auburn, Tennessee and Florida State remaining from a lengthy list of suitors.

Hollingsworth and Maumelle’s Nico Davillier (6-3, 278) are defensive line stalwarts, and Fayetteville’s Kaiden Turner (6-2, 218) is the state’s best linebacker.

It won’t be easy because all nine have offers from a multitude of Top 25 programs.

But landing those are how you get to start sprinting instead of crawling.