Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This entry is just about some good things happening for beloved former Georgia assistant coach Sam Pittman and Arkansas on the recruiting trail.

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Sam Pittman and Arkansas are killing it right now on the recruiting trail.

Does that surprise anyone who knows what he did for Georgia in his four seasons with Kirby Smart? Anyone that was recruited by that fella would not be shocked by that statement.

Yet the definition of success at Arkansas might be different than the rest of the SEC.

The Razorbacks haven’t signed a class ranked higher than ninth in the SEC since 2006. That was when Arkansas put together what the recruiting services rated as the No. 6 class in the conference.

Pittman already has his Razorbacks trending for one of those “Yeesssirr” years with the 2023 cycle. And then some.

Take a look at a few numbers:

  • Arkansas recruiting rankings the three years prior to Pittman’s arrival: No. 27 (2017) No. 45 (2018); No. 2013 (2019)
  • The rankings for the Razorbacks since he arrived: No. 29 (2020); No. 25 (2021); No. 28 (2022)
  • Where Arkansas currently ranks in the SEC recruiting rankings: No. 1 overall
  • Where Arkansas currently ranks in the national recruiting rankings: No. 3 overall

Pittman left UGA after the 2019 season. He had to quickly put together the 2020 class in a couple of months. Then there was COVID-19 recruiting during the 2020 season that shaped the 2021 class.

The Razorbacks went 3-7 during his first season. Arkansas finished up 9-4 last fall and beat teams like LSU, Penn State, Texas and Texas A&M.

It looks like the 2023 recruiting class was watching.

Arkansas currently has 10 commitments in the 2023 cycle. That makes them the No. 1 class in the SEC. The Razorbacks also slot in third nationally on the 247Sports Team Composite rankings.

Georgia, with its seven pledges at this time, comes in at No. 4 nationally on that same scale.

The Razorbacks currently have commitments from seven recruits with a 3-star ranking. While on the surface it might resemble what Tennessee did a few years ago claiming the top class in the SEC in the spring, the way Pittman recruits lends one to believe that this effort has real staying power.

Here’s an example: There are commitments from two of the nation’s top 150 prospects.

Luke Hasz, the nation’s No. 2 TE for this cycle, comes in as the nation’s No. 67 overall recruit. That pledge shows elite talent is thinking about playing that jukebox for Pittman in the SEC West.

It is quite a climb regardless. The Razorbacks might have finished in the top 30 nationally a year ago in the national rankings, but it was still only good for 13th overall in the SEC.

That’s why that No. 1 in the SEC should look pretty good right now for the Razorbacks. They currently hold commitments from three prospects out of Arkansas, three prospects out of Texas and also players out of Alabama, Georgia, Kansas and Oklahoma.

The clarifier here is that it is only April. Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M only have seven combined commitments at this time. That will change. Those teams will likely rise above Pittman’s program in the rankings by August.

Yet seeing Pittman lead Arkansas to the top recruiting class in the SEC at the end of March is a feel-good story so far in the 2023 cycle.

Good for him.

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SENTELL'S INTEL

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