re: Arkansas Football 2024 Recruiting Thread **WR Zachary Taylor Commits**

Not necessarily but I think we only took his commitment because it was widely believed Washington was gone. Once he decided to stay, it made playing time much less guaranteed.

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Plot twist…KJ moves to TE, that’s going to be his money position in the NFL, Hasz and KJ in a Petrino offense will be nasty. Washington slims down a little, and moves outside (ala “reverse” Chris Gragg) and that leaves no room for Genross

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I’ve said that 1000 times, but it won’t happen here. First interception, the whole stadium will boo our QB and call for KJ to be back.

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the whole stadium will boo our QB and call for KJ to be back.

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Our fans are their own worst enemy

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Defensive coordinator Travis Williams and the Arkansas Razorbacks received good news on Friday, as Tennessee transfer cornerback Doneiko Slaughter committed to the Hogs per his Twitter.

A product of Roswell, Georgia, Slaughter is the fourth portal pickup of the offseason for the Razorbacks and first defender.

A junior for the Volunteers, Slaughter played a total of 387 snaps and finished the 2023 season with 32 total tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 56.0.

The 6-foot, 190-pound transfer also had a run defense grade of 76.6, a tackling grade of 75.9 and a coverage grade of 51.5.

Through four seasons with Tennessee, Slaughter racked up 87 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven defended passes and an interception.

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Tennessee Bio:
CAREER

Physical and versatile defensive back who can play cornerback, safety or nickel … Came on strong during the 2022 season where he settled into cornerback role beginning with the Kentucky contest … Played in 42 career games and made 14 starts … Tallied 87 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, seven passes defended and one fumble recovery … Has two seasons of eligibility remaining, including this year … An honor student in economics who is a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

2023 – SENIOR

Led all players with a career-best 11 tackles against No. 1 Georgia (11/18) ... Started at corner and posted seven tackles (six solo) at No. 14 Missouri (11/11) ... Racked up five tackles, including a 9-yard sack in win over UConn (11/4) ... Returned to starting lineup (CB) at Kentucky (10/28) and finished the game with three solo tackles ... Posted a season-high four tackles at No. 11/8 Alabama (10/21) ... Saw action on 14 defensive snaps vs. South Carolina (9/30), did not record any stats ... Did not play at Florida (9/16) or vs. UTSA (9/23) due to injury ... Played 41 snaps at corner and had a pair of tackles in win over Austin Peay (9/9) ... Started at corner vs. Virginia (9/2) and played 29 defensive snaps.

2022 – JUNIOR

A defensive back starter for seven games who appeared in 12 contests … Five starts came at corner and two starts were at safety … Led the team in pass breakups with seven and tallied one interception and one fumble recovery … Was outstanding in corner start vs. Clemson in the Orange Bowl (12/30), logging five solo tackles and a career-best and game-high three pass breakups … Had a pair of tackles and pounced on his first career fumble recovery against Missouri (11/12) … Made start at corner and posted six total tackles and a pass breakup at No. 3 Georgia (11/5) ... Made his first cornerback start vs. No. 19 Kentucky (10/29) and did not allow a reception while nabbing his first career interception in the victory ... Delivered the Kentucky game’s defensive highlight with a bruising hit in the second quarter, knocking the ball loose and into the hands of LB Juwan Mitchell for a pick in the red zone ... Slaughter and the Vols limited Kentucky QB and top-rated 2023 NFL Draft prospect Will Levis to 98 yards passing, the fewest allowed by UT through the air since 2019 ... Started at safety vs. UT Martin (10/22), logging one tackle, one pass breakup and his first-career kickoff return for 16 yards ... Made his first start of the season at safety vs. No. 3 Alabama (10/15) and shattered his career-high with eight total tackles in the victory ... Recorded two assisted tackles in at No. 25 LSU (10/8), including a half-tackle for loss in the second quarter ... Posted one solo tackle and his first-career pass breakup in UT’s season-opening victory vs. Ball State (9/1), playing 22 defensive snaps.

2021 – SOPHOMORE

Appeared in 11 games on the season as a reserve defensive back and in special teams coverage … Did not make any starts … Posted 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry ... Had a solo tackle in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl vs. Purdue (12/30) ... Made one assisted tackle in reserve action vs. South Alabama (11/20) ... Had one tackle vs. No. 1 Georgia (11/13) ... Made a pair of solo tackles in UT’s 45-42 win at No. 18 Kentucky (11/6) ... Returned from injury at No. 4 Alabama (10/23) and posted a career-high tying three tackles and one TFL ... Did not see action vs. South Carolina (10/9) or Ole Miss (10/16) due to injury ... Tied career highs in tackles (3) and TFLs (1) while also recording his first-career quarterback hurry in win at Mizzou (10/2) ... Recorded two tackles and a sack in shutout win vs. Tennessee Tech (9/18) ... Tied his career-high with three tackles vs. Pitt (9/11) ... Made season debut vs. Bowling Green (9/2), primarily seeing action on special teams.

2020 – FRESHMAN

Saw action in all 10 games and made one start at STAR as a true freshman ... Made eight tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack on the year ... Recorded two tackles vs. No. 2 Alabama (10/24) ... Notched three tackles to match his career high against Kentucky (10/17) ... Started at the STAR position in his Tennessee debut in season-opening win at South Carolina (9/26), posting three tackles and a sack ... Was the only true freshman to start in the season-opener for the Vols … Named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

HIGH SCHOOL

Rated as a three-star prospect by 247 composite rankings … Starred at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia … Helped lead the Hornets to district title and the second round of the Georgia Class 7A State Playoffs as a senior in 2019 … 2019 Georgia Class 7A All-State selection and 2019 4-7A First Team All-Region … 2018 4-7A Second Team All-Region … Led Roswell with eight sacks in 2018.

PERSONAL

Full name is Doneiko Slaughter … Nickname is “Neiko” … Born on Nov. 8, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia … Son of Jeremy Slaughter and Judy Martinez … Has six brothers … Majoring in management ... Recipient of the Gene Felty Men's Athletic Endowed Scholarship … Favorite movie is “The Avengers” … Favorite musical artist is Lil Baby … Favorite food is shrimp pasta ... Place would most like to visit is Hawaii … Twitter handle is @Neikoslaughter and Instagram handle is @neikoslaughter.

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Seems like a very nice pick up

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We need...

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Special teams coordinator Scott Fountain and the Arkansas Razorbacks picked up their first special teams commitment on Sunday, as Hawaii kicker Matthew Shipley committed to the Hogs, per his X (formerly Twitter).

A product of Liberty Hill, Texas, Shipley is the sixth portal pickup of the offseason for the Razorbacks and first special teams player.

A senior for the Rainbow Warriors, Shipley played a total of 111 snaps and finished the 2023 season with an overall Pro Football Focus special teams grade of 54.3.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound transfer also had a punt grade of 43.6 and a field goal grade of 78.0.

During the 2023 season, Shipley made 14-18 field goal attempts (77.8%) and 30-31 extra point attempts. He was perfect from 20-39 yards out, 2-5 from 40-49 yards out and 3-4 from 50+ with a season-long of 51 yards.

Shipley is 56-73 (76.7%) on field goals in his career and 125-127 on extra point attempts.

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Hawaii Bio:
2022:

Appeared in all 13 games starting at both kicker and punter.Led the team in scoring (75 points).Converted 80 percent of his field goal attempts (16-of-20).Was perfect (10-of-10) on attempts inside 30 yards. Tied a career-long with a 49-yard field goal against Utah State.Nailed four field goals of 40 yards or longer.Made all but one of his 28 PATs.Averaged 40.7 yards on 63 punts.Tallied nine punts of 50+ yards, including a career-long 63 yarder against Wyoming. Recorded 19 punts inside the 20 yard line. Had an 18-yard rush for a first down on a fake punt against Nevada.

2021:

A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s best placekickerPlayed in all 13 games, handling both place-kicking and punting duties.Led team in points scored with 96. Made 18-of-21 field attempts on the year.Converted on all 42 of his extra point attempts.Recorded a career-long 49-yard field goal against Utah State.Set a career-high with three field goals made versus Colorado State.Averaged 41.5 yards on 55 punts for the season.Had eight punts of 50-plus yards and 15 that landed inside the 20.Earned his first Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week award after averaging 49.3 yards per punt and tallying eight points in UH’s season-finale at Wyoming.Booted a career-long 54-yard punt in that win over the Cowboys.

2020:

Handled all placekicking and the majority of kickoff duties for UH.Finished the year 8-of-14 (57.1%) on field goals.Went 6-of-7 on attempts under 40 yards.Nailed a season-long 44-yard field goal in win over UNLV.Converted all 26 of his PAT attempts.Took over kickoff duties in the final seven games of the year.Recorded 16 touchbacks on 33 kickoffs.Earned academic all-MW honors.

Prep:

A 2020 graduate of Liberty Hill High School in Texas.Handled both place kicking and punting duties for a squad that won back-to-back district titles and a 2019 regional championship.A two-time all-district kicker.Ranked the No. 7 kicker nationally by Chris Sailer Kicking.Longest field goal in a game was 45 yards.Averaged 55.3 yards per kickoff with 31 going for touchbacks.Invited to the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.Also earned all-state honors in soccer.An academic all-state selection.

Personal:

Born in Plano, Texas.Majoring in interdisciplinary studies.Has two brothers.Twin brother, Mason, kicks for Texas State.Older brother Michael kicked at West Texas A&M.Parents are Chris and Carol Shipley of Liberty Hill, Texas.

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Some of Arkansas' current commitments and remaining targets in the Class of 2024 were included in the latest Top247 rankings, which were updated and released Monday afternoon. While the transfer portal targets continue to receive most of the attention, there were some slight moves with the Hogs' high school targets in the first rankings update since October.

Pine Bluff (Ark.) four-star wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield made another move up the rankings in this round, going from 57th to 51st in the country one day before he's set to make a final decision. Crutchfield de-committed from Arkansas just minutes before the Razorbacks kicked off against Florida in November, and Missouri is still considered a strong favorite to land his verbal pledge at 10 a.m. Tuesday. LSU and Auburn are also listed as finalists for the receiver.

Arkansas' highest-rated commitment in the latest rankings is Crutchfield's cousin, four-star defensive lineman Charleston Collins of Little Rock (Ark.) Mills. Collins, 6-5, 270, saw minimal movement this time around as he goes from 93rd to 94th overall (Alabama commit Jeremiah Beaman went from 94th to 91st, so Collins didn't necessarily 'drop' in the rankings). Collins recently reaffirmed his commitment to the home state Hogs and will sign with Sam Pittman's program on Wednesday. He will then play in the All-American game in San Antonio on January 6 and enroll in Fayetteville later in the month.

At No. 101 overall is Hoover (Ala.) four-star linebacker Bradley Shaw, who is down to Arkansas and Clemson with no set time table for his decision. Shaw fell slightly from October when he was ranked 90th in the nation regardless of position. No Crystal Ball predictions have been made for Shaw, who officially visited Arkansas and Notre Dame in June and Clemson in early November.

The Razorbacks' next highest-rated pledge is Temple (Texas) Lake Belton cornerback Selman Bridges, who dropped ten spots from No. 101 to No. 111 in the December rankings. Bridges, 6-3, 175, has been committed to the Hogs since July 14 and has shown no signs of wavering ahead of Wednesday's early signing period.

Just behind Bridges is another future Razorback in four-star wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman of Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point. Bethel-Roman, 6-0, 165, chose Arkansas on July 4 and is still expected to ink with the Hogs on Wednesday, though he won't report until next summer. The receiver moved one spot from No. 113 to No. 114 in this round of rankings.

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Crutchfield to MIzzou.

OU should push for tampering but won't because they did it all the time under Riley.