quote:
"To think Simmons has two more years of high school football is incredible because he's already a completely dominant force as an edge rusher. The Duncanville, Texas, prospect is so fast and powerful as a defensive end that many times the quarterback cannot fully get into his drop until insane pressure is coming his way and Simmons is headhunting.

"Already a physically-dominant force, Simmons' future is at defensive end but he can also play in space, drop when needed and his speed is exceptional for a sophomore in high school.

"Arkansas appeals to him because teammate and friend Jordan Crook signed there and is talking up the Razorbacks. Baylor is very much liked along with Oklahoma State and then Texas and Texas A&M will undoubtedly be battling for his commitment as well." - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director

quote:
WR RYAN WINGO

quote:
"There was little doubt about whether Wingo would end up a five-star; the real question was when he would be officially minted one of the top players in his class. Wingo didn't have to wait long.

"He has a phenomenal combination of size and skill to go along with legit speed backed up by his track times. The WR prospect out of SLUH, Mo., is a Swiss Army Knife on the field as he is capable of dominating a game in so many different ways.

"Wingo will likely have his choice of any school in the country when it comes time for him to sign and I expect his number of offers to expand exponentially in the coming months. While there is plenty of time left in Wingo's recruiting process, Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri, Oregon, Arkansas and Michigan State appear to be the early leaders for his pledge." - Clint Cosgrove, National Recruiting Analyst

LINK

quote:
1. DE Colin Simmons

quote:
Gorney's Take: The No. 1 player in the 2024 class is so dominant off the edge for his Duncanville team that quarterbacks can hardly get into their drops and Simmons is there to cause problems. He is phenomenal using speed off the edge to beat offensive tackles but he can also bull-rush through them or use violent hands to get inside.

Simmons lives in the backfield either sacking the quarterback, creating incredible pressure or rushing the offense into something it doesn’t want to do.

Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma State and others are involved early.

quote:
3. WR Ryan Wingo

quote:
Gorney's Take: Ryan Wingo has all the tools of a special wide receiver as he lines up in the slot, lines up outside, even lines up in the backfield sometimes as his team looks for every way possible to get the ball in his hands.

The St. Louis (Mo.) University standout has a big catch radius, great hands and better-than-average speed to separate himself from defensive backs, plus great balance down the sideline.

His brother, Ronnie, played at Arkansas and then Texas A&M is definitely up there with Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon and others involved early on.

1 ...

Report Post

Posted by RazorHawg

Member since Aug 2013

24312 posts

Posted on 11/6/22 at 1:43 pm to RazorHawg

LINK

quote:
For evidence of Arkansas’ recent success on the field bleeding into the recruiting trail, look no further than the initial Rivals250 for the Class of 2024 that was released Tuesday.

The Razorbacks already have one top-200 recruit committed in Hot Springs Lakeside running back Braylen Russell, who debuted at No. 187, and have had numerous others on campus over the last 12 months.

That includes hosting two of the top three overall prospects — Duncanville, Texas, defensive end Colin Simmons (No. 1) and St. Louis, Mo., University wide receiver Ryan Wingo (No. 3) — over the weekend for the latest Prospect Day.

Both recruits were seriously considered for the top spot in the rankings and are genuinely interested in Arkansas at this early stage of their recruitment.

For Simmons, as well as safety Ka’Davion Dotson (No. 86), the pull is an opportunity to reunite with high school teammate Jordan Crook, a linebacker signee in the 2022 class who has enrolled early and will go through spring practice.

Wingo is actually an Arkansas legacy, as his older brother, Ronnie Jr., played for the Razorbacks from 2009-12. It’s also worth noting that his other brother, Raymond, played at Missouri under current Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom.

The Razorbacks have signed only three five-star recruits straight out of high school during the Rivals era (Darren McFadden, Mitch Mustain and Darius Winston) and added two others as transfers (Ryan Mallett, Jadon Haselwood).

The last time Arkansas was a serious contender for the top overall prospect on Rivals was in 2012, when Dorial Green-Beckham broke the Razorbacks’ hearts by picking Missouri on National Signing Day.

Those two are far from the only high-profile recruits head coach Sam Pittman has convinced to make the trip to Fayetteville, though. In fact, they aren’t the only top-10 prospects, as quarterback DJ Lagway (No. 7) attended Arkansas’ win over Mississippi State last season.

There are also two in-state prospects in the Rivals250. In addition to Russell, who’s already committed, Little Rock Christian quarterback Walker White checked in at No. 147.

He has yet to receive an offer from the Razorbacks, but he has been to Fayetteville multiple times and told HawgBeat that the coaches told him they’ll continue to monitor him throughout the process. White comes from a family of Razorbacks, as both of his older brothers (John David - football; Zac - baseball), father (David - golf), uncle (John Aaron Rees - football), grandfather (John Rees - football) and great-grandfather (Harold “Greasy” Rees - football) played at the UA.

Here’s a rundown of prospects in the 2024 Rivals250 that HawgBeat knows of that visited Arkansas or have been visited by Arkansas coaches…

quote:
No. 1 - Colin Simmons - DE - Duncanville (Texas)

No. 3 - Ryan Wingo - WR - St. Louis (Mo.) University

No. 7 - DJ Lagway - QB - Willis (Texas)

No. 18 - Kavion Henderson - DE - Leeds (Ala.)

No. 44 - Adrian Posse - QB - Miami (Fla.) Columbus

No. 56 - Payton Pierce - LB - Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy

No. 63 - Maurice Williams - S - Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek

No. 70 - Tylen Singleton - ATH - Many (La.)

No. 86 - Ka’Davion Dotson - S - Duncanville (Texas)

No. 134 - Xadavien Sims - DE - Denison (Texas)

No. 138 - KingJoseph Edwards - ATH - Buford (Ga.)

No. 147 - Walker White - QB - Little Rock (Ark.) Christian

No. 187 - Braylen Russell - RB - Hot Springs (Ark.) Lakeside - COMMITTED

No. 191 - Melvin Laster Jr. - LB - Liberty (Mo.) North