Arkansas fans continue to debate whether the Razorbacks should play all of their home football games in Fayetteville or make appearances in Little Rock and/or one in Arlington, Texas.
Having grown up just outside of Newport in Northeast Arkansas, living in Central Arkansas for a year and residing in Northwest Arkansas for 39 of the past 40 years, I can come up with plenty positives and negatives for each location, but that's another column for another day.
This one is simply about the recruiting advantages and disadvantages of playing off campus instead of at 76,000-seat Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was asked his thoughts on that subject earlier this week and is understandably frustrated with NCAA rules governing so-called off-campus home games.
He did his best to walk a fine line between the knowledge that he and his assistants will not be able to talk to recruits for a second home game this season and his love for all fans around the state.
The no-contact part is per NCAA rules for off-campus home games, which the Razorbacks numbered two this season with its Sept. 28 win over Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, and this Saturday's game with UAPB at Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium.
"You go to Dallas and even though it was a home game this year and we could give tickets, we couldn't talk to anybody and it's the same thing when you go to Little Rock you can't talk to any recruits," Pittman said. "It certainly is not good for recruiting – let's say that.
"The other thing is you want to have as many people as you possibly can in the stands to help you win and then another thing is that you are on the road no matter how you look at it. You can say H is for home, but you are on the road."
The Southwest Classic game with the Aggies is likely going to played on campus starting in 2025.
"I will say this, having two in the same year is hard, especially when we could just walk out here," Pittman said of playing in Fayetteville. "If we could cut that down to one or so, it would be a lot better, but it is what it is."
That will be the case next season with no Little Rock game.
Arkansas is contracted to play in Little Rock against Western Carolina (Sept. 2, 2023), UAPB (Aug. 31, 2024) and Arkansas State (Sept. 6, 2025).
"I will say this – we are going to embrace Little Rock," Pittman said. "We really are. Some coaches go, 'Why are we going over there?' Not ours, but why are we going over there? Hell, we are going over there because the people in Little Rock want us to come over there."
He stressed winning in Little Rock and snapping his team's three-game losing streak is the most important part of this weekend.
"We are going to come over there and we are going to have a good time," Pittman said. "We need to go over there and win. When I was here before (as the offensive line coach), I think we lost two out of three or something. Need to go over there and win and put on a fine show for the fine folks in Central Arkansas."
The Razorbacks signed a pair of prospects from the Little Rock School District for the first time since 2006 last December and have four commits from Central Arkansas in the 2022 class.
Those are Joe T. Robinson offensive lineman E'Marion Harris (6-7, 370), Little Rock Parkview tailback James Jointer (6-1, 210) and the Maumelle duo of offensive lineman Andrew Chamblee (6-6, 284) and defensive lineman Nico Davillier (6-5, 275).
Pittman knows that the current football revival in Central Arkansas in numbers and talent is important for his program.
"Very and the more the better to be honest with you," Pittman said. "If we are going to over-recruit, it would be (in) our state...If we know more about him, his heart and this, that and the other, we are going to offer the guy in the state of Arkansas.
"Sometimes you offer a guy and y'all (recruiting writers) go 'wow', I didn't see that.' It's just if we are going to take a chance – well, the ones we get out of state, we know we are right – the ones in state, we want to be right on those as well, but we will take a few more chances there, including with the walk on program."
Arkansas offered 13 in-state players in the 2022 class and have pledges from 10 of them.
"I think any time you have 8 to 10 guys in your state that you want on your team, it sure helps tremendously with the whole recruiting process," Pittman said. "That's for certain."
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