A tough 2017 campaign for the secondary for Arkansas football can start to build a turnaround after the festivities of 2018 National Signing Day.
Arkansas football is having a solid, but quiet, 2018 National Signing Day, while hauling in a few prospects to cap off a small recruiting class. With 16 commits in the Razorbacks 2018 class, the program falls in at the No. 53 ranked class in the nation and last place in the SEC rankings.
The premier prospect among all the Arkansas commits is four-star inside linebacker Bumper Pool. Building up the defense is the main priority of first-year head coach Chad Morris after an inconsistent showing from that side of the ball in 2017.
Four-star pro-style quarterback Connor Noland was kept in-state by the Hogs signing him early. It’s great to see Arkansas keeping its best prospects in-state to help get the program out of the basement in the SEC West standings.
However, while it’s important for Morris to snag some prospects that fit the style of offense he is looking to run, the Hogs are not going anywhere until the defense improves. Hauling in more than half the commitments for the defense is a positive step for the Hogs.
One under the radar addition for Arkansas on NSD was three-star safety Joseph Foucha. The loss of three key defensive backs hurts the secondary, and landing an underrated prospect like Foucha cannot be overlooked.
The instant impact on the secondary
Foucha is not the only prospect that can help the Arkansas secondary rebuild in the next few years. Three-star cornerback LaDarrius Bishop is a potential instant impact signee for the Hogs. Bishop could help fill the void left by departing corners Henre’ Toliver and Kevin Richardson.
Overall, Arkansas still has a lack of depth among the defensive backs. The loss of starting free safety Josh Liddell can be filled by either Foucha or the top rated Arkansas secondary signee Myles Mason. Both Foucha and Mason will develop with rising senior standout safety Santos Ramirez.
Watch out for Bishop, Mason, and Foucha to each get some playing in their freshman year. Morris will be searching for the answer for the future of the Arkansas defensive backs. Former Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis joins Morris’ coaching staff to also help the rebuild of the entire defense.
Continued momentum for the 2019 class
This is not a secondary rebuild that is going to be complete during the 2018 campaign. While Chavis and some of these incoming freshmen should help out with a potentially stout group of defensive backs in Fayetteville, the 2019 recruiting class is extremely significant.
Next: Way-too-early college football top 25 rankings for 2018
The first full year of scouting and pursuing top notch recruits for a coaching staff is the best chance to really push the momentum of the program and rack up a top 25 class in the nation. Losing Bret Bielema caused some turmoil in the 2018 class. And, with the newly added 2017 Early Signing Period, new coaching staffs struggle to build a complete group of prospects in such a short span of time.