Recruiting within a college football program is certainly not an exact science.

There are a number of variables thrown into the mix when evaluating — and eventually signing — a prospect. Character traits and physical ability aside, there are a few positions on the football field with a relative dearth in quality when compared to others.

In an interview with Hawgs Illustrated, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema delved into a number of topics. Specifically, he spoke about recruiting. There are two positions in which he feels are the most difficult to recruit:

“I can tell you the two hardest positions to recruit are defensive line and cornerback. There are not many SEC caliber defensive linemen. We’ve built that area up. That’s one of our biggest concerns. You do always need more at cornerback and at safety. We are a little bigger there than we have been.”

Bielema then interestingly brought up current LT Dan Skipper, and former OL Denver Kirkland. Kirkland was a three-year starter for the Razorbacks before surprisingly departing last year for the professional ranks. He went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, before signing a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders.

In general, Bielema spoke about his program’s ability to evolve when it came to stocking up on talent along the offensive line. Early in his tenure, he didn’t have that luxury:

“One of the things you look at and remember, we had to play Dan Skipper as a true freshman. You know they are going to play their best football as a senior, and we could use Dan another year, but we had to play him as a freshman. We also probably miss Denver Kirkland the most of the players we lost. He was undrafted and we think about what we do in development. We do a good job of avoiding attrition. We do have good numbers in the offensive line and defensive line.”