It’s good that Chad Morris has come in and kicked up Arkansas’ recruiting … or at least injected some more enthusiasm into the whole process that has become a season unto itself.
In the 247Sports.com composite rankings of the 2019 class, the Razorbacks are sitting at No. 20 with some more players still to sign, but the commitments expected to sign in February already count in the rankings.
Where it counts, though, the Hogs aren’t improving in the SEC. They are still ninth in the league … and sixth in the SEC West.
The highest national ranking in the modern age of recruiting is only keeping Arkansas at the status quo in the league pecking order.
As the marketing slogan goes, it just means more in the SEC.
At No. 9, that’s, well, right where Bret Bielema and Bobby Petrino ranked in the league ratings of incoming players.
Bielema averaged a No. 10 ranking in his five years with two No. 9-rated classes. Bobby Petrino’s five classes (and, remember, he didn’t fly through the handlebars until after his fifth signing day) averaged an 8.8 ranking. Of course the league only had 12 members then as Texas A&M and Missouri were in the Big 12 then.
As I’ve said for years, don’t pay attention to the national ranking. What matters most is how you stack up with the other teams in the SEC West.
For the Hogs, they are where they have been since 2008 … either at the bottom of the division or one spot above it.
The only time in the last 12 recruiting seasons (that includes 2019) Arkansas hasn’t finished in one of the last two spots in the division was 2008 when they were fourth in a six-team SEC West.
In case you’ve forgotten that 2008 class probably had as many skill-position playmakers as any group since maybe the 1969 class (the Joe Ferguson group including Mike Reppond, Jim Hodge, etc.).
The Hogs still haven’t had offensive playmakers like Jarius Wright, Tyler Wilson, Joe Adams, Chris Gragg and Greg Childs as a group since then. They also rounded up some solid defensive playmakers, too.
Morris’ class this year has some potential of playmakers, but anybody that tells you any of them are a lock is guessing because not a single one of them has caught, thrown or run the ball for a single play at the SEC level.
Nobody knows.
But what is known is the Hogs have to be recruiting at the level they are now just to have a chance to keep pace. In the Top 25 of the composite rankings, the SEC has 11 teams ranked there.
By the way, this is not where Morris wants to be in the rankings.
The guess here is his goals are higher than yours.
