Just wanted to start this up. But we have gotten some really good guys so far for the next recruiting class. If we win and keep this rolling, we should only continue to improve each year. But we gotta close out games better next year.
That’s true in both basketball and football.
Landing highly talented players is crucial (and fundamental) in paving the way toward success. We’re always glad to harvest superlative talent. However, counting stars will not automatically get us across the competitive program goal line.
Securing the services of highly talented players cannot - and will not - guarantee program success, apart from other equally crucial integral factors and considerations. Even cream of the crop blue chippers must be coached up to their full individual potential and incorporated into a highly functional cohesive team unit. Without a high degree of consistency that stems ONLY from comprehensive preparation with an attendant relentless dedication to the overall task before them and striving to approach the threshold of perfection as closely as humanly possible, no group of highly talented individual players will ultimately prove to be perennially successful in the starkly spotlighted supersized goldfish bowl which is big time collegiate major sport. A number of elements have to come together at a very high level of execution for any program to transcend mediocrity.
At present, Arkansas is mired in mediocrity. I’m not condemning, dissing or badmouthing The Hogs; that’s just the simple unvarnished truth. Glaring inadequacies have been exposed in the Razorbacks football program over the course of these past two seasons in particular. Unless or until these painfully obvious inadequacies are directly addressed and corrected, little will change in the grand scheme of The Razorbacks football program. Beating Ole Miss and LSU and losing to Yoohoo U. and Panhandle State over the course of the same season would NOT - repeat, NOT - denote the formidable prowess of a well-prepared SEC quality football team.
Consistency is a non negotiable prerequisite for the culmination of a high degree of success. At this moment in time, Arkansas has failed to demonstrate consistency. Wherever the fault lies for this discrepancy, it must be positively identified, rooted out and rectified before any appreciable measure of future gridiron success can be confidently predicted and gratifyingly realized.
I am FERVENTLY hoping and praying that both our player personnel roster and our coaching cadre roster can summon the resolve and the individual and team participatory wherewithal to make it happen - - - THIS year.
WOO PIG!!! “Root” out the source of the evident inconsistencies and kick it up a couple of notches.
i dont know as much about the football recruiting class so i will reserve judgment, and speak only on hoops. as long as we continue winning and going to NCAA’s recruiting will take care of itself. what excites me most about the next 2 classes is that all but one are from Arkansas and all can play at a high level. when we have good/great players from the state that come to the hogs, i.e., Portis, Johnson, Moncrief, they seem to be more invested because of the pride they have for their state institution. i dont know if Gafford, Hall, Garland, Joe, Sills or Henderson will be the next transcendent player for the hogs, but im excited because their from Arkansas, and everytime basketball or even football has been very good its been built by a nucleus of Arkansans.
Big rob your correct about the instate kids are the key especially in basketball!
Winning is the key to draw talent.
By Arkansas standards, our 2017 recruiting classes in football and basketball are very good. However, by SEC standards, we are just an also ran. In basketball we are in the middle of the pack; about half above and half below and in football we are 11 out 14; the lower 25%.
The BBALL class isn’t complete, yet. If we get Smith our ranking jumps to 14th overall and 3rd in the SEC as the rankings stand right now (per 247 which has the class calculator). If we land one of the kids that decommitted in the last few days instead, we could get higher or lower. Just wait.
As for football, not sure we will ever be top half of SEC in recruiting. Petrino’s best class was 6th in the SEC and a Top 20 class, but the majority of the SEC during those early Petrino years was down in both recruiting and product. That’s changed.
Bake, what did you think of our football recruiting class? I thought we filled a lot of holes and the talent level was higher than the recent classes. But, you tend to know your stuff and have the scoop in recruiting. What say you?
Also, do you have any tidbits on the basketball recruiting that you were referring to?
Football - I agree. We filled some holes and may have upgraded athletically. Can’t say we definitely upgraded until we see these kids play. I do think the new defense will be a plus.
Basketball - there are rumors, about transfers (both losing and getting, nothing solid). I expect the three we got coming in to help get us to the dance again next year. If we land Smith definitely dancing again. Those 4 new guys, plus everyone else coming back should improve.
Sounds good Bake!
Has a name been mentioned about someone transferring out this year too?
Note that one you mention that is not from Arkansas is origunally from Arkansas before his parents moved to Georgia and he currently plays for AAU Arkansas Hawks.
thank you PJ, i was unaware that Perry was originally from Arkansas. the next 2 classes together, hopefully will combine to make a special team. a potential frontcourt of Gafford, Perry and Henderson could make for a very long, very athletic squad, much like the UNC team we just faced.
The most positive part of our football recruiting program of late has been the infusion of Sec speed to our roster at several positions. We have lacked in this area especially on the defensive side of the ball for to long and showed up big time this last year. If our defense improves substantially this upcoming season could be very good one would think if everyone for the most part can stay healthy. WPS
May have made last post on wrong thread!WPS
Yes, three names have been “mentioned”, but nothing solid (especially those that would be in the know) and TJ has said he isn’t aware of anyone leaving.
Who has been mentioned as transferring out? I haven’t heard of anyone.
People keep repeating this stuff, General, but there are never any names, never anything solid. The only thing they have to go on is Macon getting annoyed with an insensitive reporter right after the most heart-breaking loss of his life, and I don’t blame him. I think this is more that some people have heard a rumor that there’s a rumor.
Absolutely not true, there is a recruiting board where this has been spoke about at length, long prior to the UNC game. Yes, there is a rumor, and it has nothing to do with Macon. Names aren’t being mentioned for a reason.
Can you please mention who or at least what boards you are speaking of.