Hopes were high among Arkansas fans that Chad Morris would lift football recruiting into the discussion among the elite in his second class.
Considering he only had a couple of weeks last year this is really the first real look at it.
The Razorbacks are No. 23 in the ESPN recruiting rankings and that’s, well, about where they’ve normally been. While this class does feature more four-stars than they’ve signed in any year, overall it’s going to be judged as much on expectations as results.
Which is the problem now. Some fans will spend more time talking about players that aren’t coming to Fayetteville while Morris has to deal with what he’s got.
The Hogs lost defensive back Adonis Otey to USC, linebacker Lakia Henry to Ole Miss and linebacker Chris Russell to Texas A&M. It happens.
Here are the players who signed Wednesday:
• Mansfield, Texas, Legacy 4-star safety Jalen Catalon (5-9, 188)
• Pulaski Academy 4-star tight end Hudson Henry (6-5, 230)
• Warren 4-star wide receiver Treylon Burks (6-3, 225)
• Phenix City, Alabama, 3-star running back A’Montae Spivey
“We got better today as a program without a doubt,” Morris said Wednesday. “The new additions to an already extremely strong class for 2019.”
While the numbers may not provide immediate gratification for some fans, this class is full of what this team has been missing: Playmakers and linemen.
Surprisingly, that was the two areas the previous staff didn’t recruit well in the last few years they were around. It created a depth issue Morris inherited last year that combined with the typical departures surrounding a new staff to produce a 2-10 record that will live in infamy.
Morris is doing it differently. He said about all four players, “he loves the Hogs.”
“If I have to beg you to come here, then I’m going to have to beg you to play on third and short and I’m not going to beg you for that,” Morris said.
It’s that culture thing we hear about so much these days.
“We want people that want to be here and want to make an impact on this program,” Morris said. “You have to love the Hogs. There’s too many people in this state that Razorback football, basketball, Razorbacks in general, it’s a big, big, big deal.”
While most over the last couple of years paid lip service to loving the Hogs, you didn’t really get the idea they felt that way, especially after losses, which is when you can get a good idea of who it meant something to.
At times last season there appeared to be too many players that got comfortable being losers. Some also didn’t seem too concerned with their impact to an entire state where many people are totally affected by whether the football team wins or loses.
“The more our players can understand the impact that they have in every household and every kitchen table and every garage in this state, the more they understand the appreciation for what they have to earn,” Morris said.
During early conditioning workouts for the last month, Morris has had the team in plain gray attire. No logo. No using the new lockers in the Smith Center. The old ones were sent to Arkansas-Pine Bluff and it may have been a convenient public relations move, but Morris was trying to make a point.
They did get logos on their shorts this week after earning that, according to Morris on Wednesday.
All of that is what Morris says is the change in culture he’s trying to build. Time is the only way to tell if it will work, despite what you’ll see and hear from some of the psychotic internet trolls.
Morris was, predictably, high on this signing class again Wednesday. What coach isn’t?
But the guess here is this is a group that could be the foundation for something bigger, providing they continue to develop after getting to Fayetteville.
At least we’re guessing that’s Morris’ plan.
All of which is why fans should wait for the results before making judgements and not compare with expectations.
