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Recruiting has gone national, which means the challenge of signing the best in-state talent is exponentially more difficult than, say, 30 years ago.
With that in mind, we’re building a six-man all-star in-state team of sorts for each program in the SEC, looking for more recent recruits with more options who chose to stay home.
Here are the best, by position, Arkansas kids who became Razorbacks.
Quarterback — Brandon Allen
Tyler Wilson, from Greenwood, was higher-rated coming out of high school and set several school records after replacing Ryan Mallett. He’s a worthy candidate, in part because he also led the Razorbacks to an 11-2 record and Cotton Bowl win in 2011.
Allen, a three-star prospect from Fayetteville, took over after Wilson left and began filling in his name in the Razorbacks’ record book as well as rebuilding a broken program.
A three-year starter, Allen finished with a program-best 64 career touchdowns, two more than Mallett — and 7,463 yards, third all-time behind Wilson and Mallett.
Running back — Darren McFadden
McFadden was a five-star prospect at Oak Grove in North Little Rock who developed into a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2008.
He was the No. 7 running back in the 2006 class, but he’d be No. 1 if the list were redone today.
He was a two-time All-American and finished second to Tim Tebow in the 2007 Heisman race.
He ran for 1,830 yards as a junior, then the second-highest total in SEC history behind Herschel Walker. He still ranks second to Walker in career yards with 4,590.
RT @Arkansas_Logo: Athlon Sports named Darren McFadden the 4th best RB of the BCS era. Best in the SEC. #WPS pic.twitter.com/jCHOYaM1j5”
— Ian Greengross (@iangreengross) July 5, 2013
Wide receiver — Jarius Wright
Wright was a four-star prospect out of Warren in the 2008 class.
He is the Razorbacks’ career leader in receiving yards (2,934) and ranks second in career catches (168) and touchdowns (24).
He was a go-to target for Mallett and Wilson and part of 21-5 two-year stretch.
Defensive lineman — Dan Hampton
Hampton, who arrived from suburban Little Rock long before recruiting rankings, set the standard for every Razorback defensive lineman since.
An All-American defensive tackle in 1978, Hampton was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft. A key piece of the Chicago Bears’ famed 1985 defense, Hampton was a four-time Pro Bowler who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
The hope is, McTelvin Agim, a five-star recruit from Hope, comes close to equalling Hampton’s college accomplishments.
Linebacker — Brooks Ellis
A two-time state champion at Fayetteville High, Ellis led the Razorbacks with 102 tackles as a junior in 2015.
He’ll be a third-year starter in 2016, where he’ll attempt to become the first Razorback with 100-plus tackles in consecutive seasons since Jerry Franklin in 2010 and 2011.
Defensive back — David Barrett
Steve Atwater is the greatest defensive back in Razorbacks history, but he was imported from St. Louis.
It’s a considerable drop to the best in-state defensive back, but Osceola’s Barrett developed into a fourth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
He carved out a nine-year career with the Cardinals and Jets before retiring in 2008.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
