The next few weeks will be busy for University of Arkansas football Coach Sam Pittman and his staff as they hit the road recruiting, host recruits and get ready for the early signing period while also have exit meetings with current players.
The Hogs have 23 commitments for the Class of 2023 and hope to have them all signed during the Dec. 21-23 signing period. Arkansas hosted West Virginia defensive line commitment Justin Benton for an official visit.
Benton, 6-2, 280 pounds, of Covington (Ga.) Newton visited Fayetteville for the Liberty game and is expected to officially visit Texas on Dec. 2-4 and then announce a final decision.
The contact period that runs Dec. 2-17 allows coaches to visit with prospects on and off campus leading up to the early signing period.
The 18th is a quiet period which allows prospects to visit schools but coaches can't be off campus. The dead period which forbids coaches from having face-to-fact contact with recruits on or off campus starts Dec. 19 and runs until Jan. 12.
Head coaches can visit prospects once during the contact periods while assistants can do so six times.
Pittman expects to do in-home visits with all the commitments during the December contact period.
"I'll make my rounds to all 23 of them that are committed now, and the coaches will be in there every week," Pittman said recently.
In previous years, coaches would hit the road recruiting the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but the NCAA pushed back the contact period a few days this year to allow schools to meet with current players and sort out rosters.
Players can officially enter the transfer portal on Dec. 5 and continue to do so until Jan. 18. A few Arkansas players have announced plans to enter the portal, including recent announcements from freshman running back James Jointer and receiver Chase Lowery. Other Razorbacks are expected to join them in the portal.
"I've got a lot of exit meetings coming up on Monday," Pittman said earlier in the week. "You guys know, us and everybody in the world, that'll be a blow-up day, now. It's going to be the transfer portal, who's going to come back."
Because of covid-19, the NCAA allows players impacted by the pandemic to have an extra year of eligibility. Offensive tackle Dalton Wagner and linebacker Bumper Pool are just two Razorbacks who have taken advantage of the extra year since the NCAA implemented the rule in 2020.
Pittman hopes to convince several senior eligibles to come back next year. With Arkansas and schools across the nation expected to mine the transfer portal, schools aren't limited by the 25 scholarship rule like in the past.
The NCAA Division I Council voted in May to eliminate the limit of 25 scholarships per recruiting class in football for the next two years.
For instance, schools can sign more than 25 this year as long as the school doesn't exceed 85 on scholarship.
Pittman has stated plans to look for defensive backs and defensive linemen in the portal while not discounting looking at impact players at other positions. Texas-Commerce receiver Andrew Armstrong, who entered the portal on Tuesday, reported receiving a scholarship offer from the Hogs on Thanksgiving.
Arkansas was credited with having one of the better portal classes going into this season.
Receivers Jadon Haselwood and Matt Landers transferred to Fayetteville from Oklahoma and Toledo respectively, while linebacker Drew Sanders did so from Alabama and defensive linemen Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech), Terry Hampton (Arkansas State) and Landon Jackson (LSU) also joined the Hogs.
Cornerback Dwight McGlothern and safety Latavious Brini transferred in from LSU and Georgia.
E-mail Richard Davenport at rdavenport@arkansasonline.com