Even though Chad Morris and his staff are putting together one of the best recruiting classes in program history — or at the least the last 40 years — it got better Tuesday.
Despite losing quarterback Kelly Bryant, Arkansas got another year from De’Jon Harris in a surprise announcement.
But for all the long faces tonight. I got another year in me ‘ so let’s rock out!????????????
— De'Jon Harris (@Scoooota8) December 5, 2018
That may be bigger than landing Bryant.
Considering the various issues this team had in a season everyone would like to forget, replacing the SEC’s leading tackler was going to be a bigger need than quarterback. To put it simply, you seldom can do that with a roster like the Razorbacks have.
That happens with a program in a 10-year decline.
And it’s not going to be fixed in a year or two.
For high school coaches, one of the biggest parts of the job is recruiting. No, that doesn’t mean they go out and get players from other schools, but getting the kids in their own school to come out — and stay out — for football.
If you don’t believe it ask any high school coach.
Morris and likely John Chavis recruited Harris to stay. He had put in his paperwork for evaluation for the NFL draft … last week. Nobody knows if he got the results back or just decided he’d rather be a Razorback for another year.
Also putting in the paperwork were defensive lineman McTelvin Agim and cornerback Ryan Pulley and we haven’t heard anything from them one way or the other.
That’s why logic says Morris and Chavis did some in-house recruiting.
Harris had 118 stops (9.8 per game) this past season. The year before he finished third in the conference with 115 tackles. That’s 233 tackles over two season and they weren’t going to replace that kind of production immediately.
With finals at the university coming up in a week or so, expect some more players to announce they’re leaving. Over the past year, 22 players have left without going to the NFL.
Stay tuned.
But the leading tackler will be back, which is a pretty good place to start.
