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Arkansas received a much-needed morale boost on Sunday afternoon when Top247 defensive lineman Kavion Henderson of Leeds (Ala.) became the Razorbacks' first commitment of the Class of 2024.

Henderson, 6-3, 235, went public with his decision at a ceremony at approximately 3 p.m., choosing the Hogs over Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and many others. The four-star prospect told HawgSports last week that his finalists were Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia, but he had been committed to the Razorbacks since March.

While defensive line coach Deke Adams is credited for being Henderson's lead recruiter and future position coach, Henderson said his recruitment was a staff effort that began around the first of the year.

Four-star running back Braylen Russell of Benton (Ark.) de-committed from the Razorbacks earlier this fall, which makes Henderson the Hogs' new first commitment for the Class of 2024.

According to 247Sports, Henderson is a four-star prospect, the No. 233 overall player in the nation, No. 16 among all defensive linemen, and the No. 14 overall prospect in the state of Alabama for the Class of 2024. The 247Sports Composite rankings have him listed even higher, as the No. 195 overall target in the country, No. 16 among defensive linemen and No. 12 in his home state.

Henderson's announcement is a timely one for the Razorbacks, who are still reeling after a surprising 21-19 homecoming loss to No. 23 Liberty on Saturday afternoon.

In addition to Henderson, Arkansas is also in the mix for several other notable defensive line prospects in the 2024 cycle, including homegrown products in four-star Charleston Collins of Little Rock (Ark.) Mills and three-star TJ Lindsey of Bryant (Ark.).

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Arkansas' current class of 2023 still includes 23 verbal commitments and ranks 16th nationally. The Razorbacks hosted another 2023 prospect over the weekend in West Virginia defensive line commitment Justin Benton of Covington (Ga.) Newton. Benton, 6-2, 275, arrived in Fayetteville Saturday morning and won't finish his visit until Monday morning.

Here's a look at Arkansas' current depth situation at defensive end:

2022 Scholarship Roster

3-star Dorian Gerald (6-3, 265, S-Sr.)

3-star Jordan Domineck (6-3, 253, R-Sr.)

3-star Zach Williams (6-4, 245, Sr.)

3-star Jashaud Stewart (6-2, 243, Jr.)

3-star Eric Thomas (6-3, 259, Jr.)

4-star Landon Jackson (6-7, 275, So.)

3-star JJ Hollingsworth (6-3, 249, Fr.)

3-star Nico Davillier (6-3, 275, Fr.)

2023 Edge Commitments

3-star Quincy Rhodes Jr. (6-7, 255)

3-star Kaleb James (6-4, 250)

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Posted by RazorHawg

Member since Aug 2013

24318 posts

Posted on 11/7/22 at 3:06 pm to RazorHawg

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2024 4-star DL Kavion Henderson commits to Arkansas

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Leeds (Ala.) four-star defensive lineman Kavion Henderson held offers from some of the top programs in college football, including Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee. It turns out those schools, and many others, were playing from behind in Henderson’s recruitment for multiple months.

The 6-foot-1.5, 250-pound prospect silently committed to Arkansas in March. On Sunday, he made his pledge to the Razorbacks and head coach Sam Pittman official.

“I wanted to commit [to Arkansas] because I see potential in them,” Henderson told On3. “They’ll be a great team and he’s already a great coach when he was at Georgia. He knows what great players are like and what great coaches are like.”

Henderson has been to Fayetteville three times and will be returning for Arkansas’ game against LSU on Nov. 12. He can already see the development created by Pittman and his staff, from a 9-4 season last year to a top-10 ranking this September.

The four-star is confident that the Razorbacks will be an SEC contender in the future. That’s one of the reasons why he wants to help the Razorbacks’ resurgence.

“I wanted to go somewhere and make an impact,” said Henderson, the No. 135 overall prospect and No. 13 defensive lineman in the 2024 On3 Consensus. “They got a lot of great players there… They came through and I want to make a difference there at the EDGE position. I just want to make an impact and (I) see myself playing here along with some great players.”

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Henderson recognized that there is ‘belief in Arkansas’

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Henderson still remembers the night he called Pittman. He said the third-year Arkansas coach was happy and excited about his decision.

“The coach is unbelievable,” Henderson said. “Coach Pittman, he kept it real. He told me some stuff. He was just funny, and he reminded me of my coach.”

But it was not just Pittman who showed interest in Henderson. Multiple members of the Razorbacks’ staff were in communication with the Alabama native. They spoke with his grandmother as well, which meant a lot.

“The d-line coach, the d-line assistant, coach Pittman, the special teams coach, the defensive coordinator,” Henderson said. “It was just a lot of coaches. They all called me once a week.

“Arkansas put a lot of effort into recruiting me. The coaches showed me they wanted me. They want me and I want to make an impact for them.”

Henderson received an offer from the Crimson Tide in September. Yet he felt at home with Arkansas, calling it “the best place to be in my eyes.”

Two main factors of Henderson’s decision were the ability to make a big difference on the field and produce at a high level. The four-star feels like he can achieve those goals best with the Razorbacks.

“I decided to play here because they need EDGE guys,” Kavion Henderson said. “Alabama, they already got what they got. They wanted to add more talent, but I just wanted to go to Arkansas to make a mark. Alabama’s already doing a great job. I just want to help (Arkansas) out. There’s belief in Arkansas. I want to let the people know and I think they’ll be excited too because it’s the best for me.”