FAYETTEVILLE — Once again, Arkansas has recruited some of the best baseball talent in the nation to help fill next year’s roster.

Those new players have helped the program garner a top-three ranking by a national baseball magazine.

This year’s crop of new Razorbacks is one of the best in recent years as Baseball America ranked Arkansas’ 2018 class as No. 3 in the country earlier this week and the third highest of any team from the SEC.

The Razorbacks’ class, which consists of 15 players, all freshmen, was also ranked No. 3 by Perfect Game.

This is the seventh time in the last nine years Arkansas’ recruiting class has been ranked in the top 25 by Baseball America, fifth in the top 15. It’s also the second time since 2015 that Arkansas has had a top-five class.

The rankings are based on players who enroll at school each fall. Athletes who initially signed letters of intent with a school but then sign a pro contract after being drafted do not count in the overall evaluation.

Seven players in this year’s class were selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and five of those players decided put their pro careers on hold to attend the University of Arkansas.

Right-hander Caleb Bolden (Texarkana, Texas) was picked by Tampa Bay in the 16th round, right-hander Bryce Bonnin (Baytown, Texas) was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 26th round, outfielder Heston Kjerstad (Amarillo, Texas) was taken in the 36th round by the Seattle Mariners, catcher Casey Opitz (Centennial, Colo.) was picked in the 27th round by the Cleveland Indians, and outfielder Cole Turney was selected in the 34th round, also by the Indians.

Including the five draftees, six of the incoming players participated in prestigious high school events such as the Perfect Game National Showcase, the Area Code Games and the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field.

Along with its top rankings from Baseball America and Perfect Game, Arkansas is expected to have a high class ranking from D1Baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball, which are set to come out later this fall.

Razorback fans are not happy.

Following Arkansas dismal performance in a 28-7 loss to TCU, the Razorback faithful are besides themselves trying to figure out how many of the problems of past Bret Bielema teams have resurfaced in year five.

There is nothing wrong with being torqued off when your favorite football team lets you down. Contrary to what the coach says, it’s probably even therapeutic to “let it all out” and vent your frustrations rather then bottle them in and let them fester.

However, some Hog fans want a change at the top. They either want Long fired or Bielema fired or both on the first train out of Fayetteville.

They aren’t going anywhere.

Why?

Because all of us normal people out here across the state are looking at the wrong scoreboard.

Long works for the board of trustees, which is largely made of academics. There is no Jim Lindsey or John Tyson or anyone powerful or passionate about Razorback athletics on the board right now.

All the board wants Jeff Long to do is keep the revenue machine rolling, graduate athletes and prepare them for the real world. He is doing that.

Rarely if someone is meeting expectations do they get asked to leave. Long is keeping Arkansas athletics out of the negative, off the field headlines, which is his main job. So he isn’t going anywhere.

What about Bielema?

Long has stated many times that grades and having good young people off the field is the most important thing to him. He then will throw in a casual “well we want to win more than anyone,” but it’s obvious to any Razorback observer that is not the main priority.

With Bret Bielema, he has a coach who graduates his players, brings in quality character guys, and doesn’t embarrass the University off the field.

How exactly is that coming short of his bosses’ expectations?

Once you figure out what the real goals are, it all makes sense.

I am sure Bielema wants to win more than anyone, but it has to make you very comfortable knowing that it is not the main thing your boss cares about. He isn’t living and dying with your W-L record.

Frank Broyles used to say he never wanted his coaches to be comfortable because they would not as effective coaching their teams. He always wanted coaches he hired to be on edge because he knew he would get more out of them.

Long never puts Bielema on edge and the results we are getting are what happens when you have a $15 million buyout and you are comfortable.