The Recruiting Guy

Arkansas expected to host lots of talent Saturday

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman gestures, Saturday, September 23, 2022 during the fourth quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Traditionally, Arkansas' home football game against Alabama draws the largest number of prep visitors, and Saturday’s game is no different.

The game routinely sees more than 70 prospects on hand. 

Receiver Ryan Wingo and quarterback DJ Lagway are the highest-rated prospects expected to visit the Razorbacks. This trip will be the third to Fayetteville for both prospects. 

Wingo, 6-2, 198 pounds, of St. Louis University High School, has more than 20 offers from schools like Arkansas, Missouri, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee and other schools. He visited the Razorbacks for last year's Texas game and in March. 

ESPN rates Wingo a 4-star prospect, the No. 4 wide receiver and No. 23 overall prospect in the nation for the 2024 class. 

Lagway, 6-3, 210 pounds, of Willis, Texas, has offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Baylor, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Houston and Georgia Tech and other programs. 

ESPN rates him a 4-star recruit, the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 21 overall prospect in the junior class. He visited the Razorbacks for the Mississippi State game last year and again in March. 

Consensus 4-star defensive back Corian Gipson, 6-1, 175 pounds, of Lancaster, Texas, is expected to visit Saturday with teammate and junior running back Kewan Lacy.

Gipson has 31 offers from schools such as Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Oregon, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and LSU. Arkansas cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman visited his school last Friday. 

“I talk to Coach Bowman a lot, like every week we chop it up and text every now and then,” Gipson said. “He told me he was going to come up.” 

A consensus 4-star prospect, Gipson is On3.com's No. 2 safety and No. 29 overall recruit in the nation in the 2024 class.

Lacy, 6-0, 190, has offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan State and other schools. He rushed for 1,352 yards and 13 touchdowns on 135 carries as a sophomore. 

A source expects to see ESPN’s No. 4 defensive lineman in the nation, Nigel Smith II, visit the Razorbacks. 

Smith, 6-5, 260, of Melissa, Texas, has offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Southern Cal and numerous other schools.  A 4-star recruit, he is the No. 64 overall prospect in the nation for the 2024 class. 

ESPN 4-star prospect Dre'lon Miller, 6-2, 205 of Silsbee, Texas, is also expected to attend the Alabama game. He has offers from Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Stafford, Tennessee and other programs. 

He is also ESPN’s No. 11 athlete and No. 112 overall junior prospect in the nation. 

ESPN 4-star tight end Christian Bentancur, 6-5, 235, of Woodstock (Ill.) Marian Central Catholic, will be visiting Fayetteville a second time on Saturday. 

He and his parents visited Arkansas in June. ESPN also rates him the No. 3 tight end and No. 116 overall recruit in the junior class.

Little Rock Christian and ESPN 4-star quarterback Walker White, 6-4, 215, will attend his second Arkansas game of the season on Saturday. He also visited for the Cincinnati game. 

He has offers from Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, TCU, Missouri, Virginia and other schools. ESPN also rates him the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback and No. 195 overall recruit in the junior class. 

Consensus 4-star junior defensive end Williams Nwaneri will make his second visit to Arkansas for the Alabama game.

“I've got to see what a game day is like,” he said. 

Nwaneri, 6-5, 250 pounds, of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North, visited the Razorbacks in April. He has 23 offers from schools such as Arkansas, Michigan, Oregon, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and other programs. 

ESPN rates him the No. 13 defensive end in the nation in the 2024 class, and On3.com rates him the No. 2 defensive lineman nationally. 

Consensus 4-star defensive back Xavier Filsaime also plans to visit Saturday. 

Filsaime, 6-0, 185 pounds, of McKinney, Texas, has more than 30 offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, TCU, Florida State, Ole Miss and other schools. He is teammates with Arkansas safety commit Christian Ford. 

On3.com rates him the No. 9 cornerback and No. 79 overall recruit in the 2024 class. 

Junior running back Bryan Jackson of McKinney, Texas, also plans to visit. He previously visited Fayetteville in the summer. 

Jackson, 6-1, 230 pounds, has more than 20 scholarship offers from schools such as Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Ole Miss and Michigan State.

ESPN rates him a 4-star prospect, the No. 12 running back and No. 164 overall recruit nationally. 

Class of 2024 receiver target Parker Livingstone attended Arkansas’ practice on Thursday and plans to attend the Alabama game, too. 

Livingstone, 6-4, 185, of Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy, has visited Fayetteville five times previously. His brother, Bradley, is a junior at the UA. 

He recorded a best of 21.69 seconds in the 200 meters during the spring.

Junior defensive end Danny Okoye recently received an offer from the Razorbacks and has plans to visit Fayetteville on Saturday. 

Okoye, 6-5, 225, also has offers from Southern Cal, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Baylor and other schools. He is homeschooled. 

Class of 2024 defensive lineman Charleston Collins, 6-5, 263, of Mills, is expected to make his sixth trip to Fayetteville on Saturday. On3.com rates him a 4-star recruit, the No. 23 defensive lineman and No. 235 overall prospect in the nation.

He also visited the Razorbacks for the Cincinnati game. 

Collins has offers from Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Texas A&M, Miami, Michigan State, Colorado and other schools.

Bryant junior and Arkansas defensive line target TJ Lindsey is expected to visit the Razorbacks for the fifth time on Saturday. He visited for the season opener against Cincinnati. 

Lindsey, 6-4, 270, has offers from Arkansas, TCU, Notre Dame, Colorado, Houston, Texas Tech, Georgia and other programs. 

Four-star junior athlete David Eziomume is expected to accompany his teammate and Arkansas quarterback commitment Malachi Singleton to Fayetteville for the Alabama game. 

Eziomume, 6-1, 200, of Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb, has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Southern Cal, Georgia, Illinois, Ole Miss, Miami, Missouri, Louisville, South Carolina and other schools. Rivals rates him the No. 5 athlete in the nation. 

The Razorbacks are recruiting him to play running back and receiver. 

Two of the nation’s top linebackers in the 2025 class are planning to visit. 

Parker Meese, 6-2, 218, of Dallas Parish Episcopal, and Noah Mikhail, 6-3, 205, of La Verne (Calif.) Bonita, visited Fayetteville in the summer. 

Meese has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Arizona State, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Missouri, BYU, Boston College and other schools.

He and his parents made Arkansas his first college visit on June 24. Saturday’s game against Alabama will be his first college game to attend. 

Mikhail has offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Oregon, Texas A&M, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, California and other schools. 

His cousin, Kylie Harris, is a senior at the UA. She accompanied him and his parents on the first trip, and he is rated a 4-star prospect by On3.com.

Others expected to visit for the Alabama game

'23 DL commitment Kaleb James, 6-5, 250, of Mansfield, Texas

'23 OL commitment Luke Brown, 6-6, 315, of Paris (Tenn.) Henry County

'23 CB commitment Dallas Young, 6-1, 185, of Gardendale, Ala.

'23 CB commitment Jaylon Braxton, 6-0, 175, of Frisco (Texas) Lone Star

'23 LB commitment Carson Dean, 6-4, 232, of Carrollton (Texas) Hebron

'23 OL commit Joey Su'a, 6-4, 309, of Bentonville

'23 LB commitment Brad Spence, 6-3, 232, of Houston Klein Forest

'23 TE commitment Luke Hasz, 6-4, 220, of Bixby, Okla.

'23 S commitment Dylan Hasz, 5-11, 180, of Bixby, Okla.

'23 DL commitment Quincy Rhodes, 6-7, 260, of North Little Rock

'24 LB Makhi Frazier, 5-11, 215, of McKinney, Texas

'24 S Ka’Davion Dotson, 5-11, 185, of Duncanville, Texas

'24 LB Brian Huff, 6-3, 215, of Valley View

'24 WR DeBraun Hampton, 5-10, 180, of Willis, Texas

'24 WR Kendrayus Edwards, 6-0, 190, of Willis, Texas

'25 DL/OL Bradyn Cobain King, 6-2, 290, of Gurdon

'25 WR Jalen Mickens, 5-9, 180, of Willis, Texas

'24 RB commitment Braylen Russell, 6-2, 230 of Benton