While spring practice wrapped up last week, University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman and his staff are now full bore ahead recruiting and also working to retain the current roster.
The spring evaluation period started April 15 and lasts until May 31. The period allows coaching staffs to hit the road visiting schools to look for future prospects.
Pittman, who was the featured speaker at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet at New Life Church in North Little Rock on Tuesday evening, said the assistant coaches hope to visit 140 schools in the state later in the week, but he and the staff have first been focused on the players on campus since Monday.
“You better stay in and make sure your own team is fine first,” said Pittman prior to the event. “We’re going to spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in house making sure our kids are fine, and we take care of any needs they may have. … Then every guy on the staff is going to be in Arkansas Thursday and Friday of this week and then go out spring recruiting the next three and half weeks after that.”
Pittman has met with numerous players on Monday and Tuesday with many more to go.
“I’m currently right now in exit meetings,” Pittman said. “I think I’ve hit somewhere around 45-48 somewhere around there and we’ll finish that up.”
The players will wrap up the second semester in May before possibly taking some time away from campus, but still working out.
“For the players, it’s about finishing up strong academically and then taking some time off but yet finding a location, if they go home where they can work out,” Pittman said. “We don’t want to lose where we’re at right now. We actually want to gain over the time, and if they put their minds to it, they should be able to do it, and then come back healthy and ready to go the end of May.”
The Hogs also are actively looking in the NCAA transfer portal for additional help for the fall. The last day for transfers to enter the portal is May 1. Arkansas is known to have offered scholarships to former Nebraska defensive lineman Casey Rogers and former Arkansas State defensive lineman Terry Hampton.
“We have three scholarships left and we don’t want to panic,” Pittman said. “We need a couple of D-tackles. We’re still trying to find a wide receiver.”
The Razorbacks look to be healthy coming out of spring practice.
“We had a few injuries, but for the most part pretty sound, pretty solid how we came out,” Pittman said.
Arkansas hosted about 80 prospects, including 26 with scholarship offers, during the recent open practice. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek told the recruits and parents that morning that Arkansas and Pittman had agreed to a contract that would keep him Fayetteville but details needed to be worked out.
“Well we agreed to it, I’m not for sure where the paper is at this point, but we’ve agreed to it and I’m just waiting on them to get it signed and give it to me, but we’ve agreed to the terms of the contract,” said Pittman, who has a 12-11 record in two seasons at Arkansas
When Pittman was named as Arkansas’ head coach in December of 2019, he said that was his dream job. He’s still living the dream while gearing up for his third season in Fayetteville.
“It’s unbelievable, it really is,” Pittman said. “Every time we come over [Interstate] 49 going north, and you go over the hill and see the stadium, it’s still surreal that I’m the head coach at that stadium. It’s really cool.”