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Hogs Make Big Jump In Rankings On Signing Day

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – When Sam Pittman took over as the new Arkansas football coach in mid-December, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 118 in the country whe...
Sam Pittman

FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – When Sam Pittman took over as the new Arkansas football coach in mid-December, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 118 in the country when it came to recruiting.

Thanks to a few key transfers and several commits who flipped to play for the Hogs, Arkansas climbed all the way up to No. 29 according to 247Sports.

The following information is what the university has released for the 2020 signing class:

Player Position Ht Wt Previous School
Marcus Henderson OL 6-5 300 Memphis University School
Jaqualin McGhee DL 6-4 255 Peach County (GA)
Collin Sutherland TE 6-5 240 Flower Mound (TX)
JT Towers LB 6-4 210 Joe T. Robinson
Nick Turner DB 5-11 180 Brother Martin (LA)
Eric Thomas LB 6-3 203 Booker T. Washington (FL)
Levi Draper LB 6-1 234 Oklahoma
Khari Johnson DB 6-0 184 Suffield Academy (CT)
Andy Boykin DL 6-4 262 Troup County (GA)
Jacorrei Turner LB 6-2 205 Woodward Academy (GA)
Jalen St. John OL 6-5 310 Trinity Catholic (MO)
Malik Hornsby QB 6-2 175 Fort Bend Marshall (TX)

 

Malik Hornsby
QB – 6-2 – 175 – Missouri City, Texas (Fort Bend Marshall HS)
Four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country and 14th overall player in the state of Texas by 247Sports … Slotted at No. 228 in ESPN’s Top 300 … Two-year varsity letterwinner at Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas … Threw for 2,279 yards on 115-of-201 passing as a senior in 2019 … Threw for 29 touchdowns and rushed for 17, carrying the ball 130 times for 1,587 yards on the ground … Helped the Buffalos to a 14-2 overall record in his final year of prep ball, falling by three points in a high-scoring Class 5A state championship game at the end of the 2019 campaign … Selected to play in the 2020 U.S. Army All-American Bowl … Tallied 1,969 passing yards on a 75-for-128 clip as a junior, connecting on 23 TDs through the air … Carried the ball 81 times for 772 yards and 13 scores as part of a 15-1 record, ending the year in the 2018 Texas High School Football 5A title game … Went 25-3 as the starting quarterback over his two years at the helm of the Buffalo offense, amassing over 5,000 yards of total offense with only four interceptions, two in each season … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Mississippi State, Oregon, Tennessee, Baylor, Texas A&M, Purdue and others.

Marcus Henderson
OL – 6-5 – 300 – Memphis, Tenn. (Memphis University School)
Four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 6 offensive guard in the country and sixth-ranked prospect in the state of Tennessee by ESPN … Slotted in ESPN’s Top 300 at 164 … Four-year varsity letterwinner at Memphis University School in Memphis, Tennessee … Blocked for an offense that racked up 3,192 yards, including 1,665 on the ground in 2019, producing 46 total touchdowns with 29 rushing scores … Also recorded 22 tackles on defense, including six tackles for loss and two sacks … Helped the Owls to a 10-2 overall record as a senior, reaching the semifinals of the Class 3A-II Tennessee state playoffs … Propelled the Memphis University School offense to 4,079 yards of total offense during his junior season in 2018, blocking for a passing attack that racked up 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns, with 25 scores coming from the ground game … Was a member of the state runner-up team in 2018, falling in the Class 3A-II title game … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oklahoma and others.

Jalen St. John
OL – 6-5 – 310 – St. Louis, Mo. (Trinity Catholic HS)
Four-star prospect by Rivals … Rated as the No. 9 offensive guard in the country and seventh overall player in the state of Missouri by Rivals … Four-year varsity letterwinner at Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, Missouri … Blocked for an offense that racked up over 4,000 yards of total offense, including 2,325 yards on the ground, with 28 rushing touchdowns, as well as 1,743 passing yards and 17 TDs through the air in 2019 … Helped the Titans to a 9-4 overall record and a semifinal appearance in the 2019 Missouri Class 3 High School Football playoffs … Stood in the trenches for an offensive unit that built up more than 5,400 yards of offense in 2018, as the Trojans rushed for 3,281 yards and 49 touchdowns to go with 2,178 passing yards and 30 touchdowns during his junior season … Trinity Catholic posted a 13-2 record in 2018 en route to the 2018 Missouri Class 3 State Championship … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida State, Iowa State, Memphis, Nebraska and others.

Jaqualin McGhee
DL – 6-4 – 255 – Fort Valley, Ga. (Peach County HS)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 46 strongside defensive end in the country and No. 91 overall player in the state of Georgia by Rivals … Four-year letterwinner at Peach County High School in Fort Valley, Georgia … Totaled 65 tackles as a senior in 2019, with 46 solo stops and 19 for loss … Recorded eight sacks and 11 quarterback hurries, blocking one punt and getting credit for a pass breakup … Helped the Trojans to a 12-1 overall record last season, making it to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Class 3A Georgia High School Football playoffs … Totaled 55 stops as a junior, with 36 solo tackles and five tackles for loss, all going for sacks … Pushed Peach County HS to a 12-3 mark, including a spotless 6-0 in region play, falling by a point in the state title game in 2018 … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Cincinnati, Kansas State, West Virginia and others.

Collin Sutherland
TE – 6-5 – 240 – Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus HS)
Three-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 39 tight end in the country by ESPN … Four-year varsity letterwinner at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas … Recorded 35 receptions for 329 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior in 2019 … Helped the Marauders to an 11-2 season in his final year of prep ball, including a third-round appearance in the 2019 Texas High School Football 6A playoffs … Played in four games, catching six passes for 52 yards as a junior for Marcus HS … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Florida State, UNLV and others.

JT Towers
LB – 6-4 – 210 – Little Rock, Ark. (Joe T. Robinson HS)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 45 inside linebacker in the country by ESPN … Ranked as the ninth overall player in the state of Arkansas by 247Sports … Four-year varsity letterwinner, played his senior season at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas … Led the team with a whopping 171 total tackles as a senior in 2019, producing 105 solo stops and 47 tackles for loss, including 11 sacks … Also forced four fumbles and recovered another, while rushing for 107 yards, passing for 60 and catching a pass for 14 yards on the offensive side of the ball … Helped the Senators to a 14-1 record and No. 7 ranking in the state, rolling to the 2019 4A State Championship behind a 56-28 victory in the title game … Played quarterback at Glen Rose High School, completing 84-of-190 passes as a junior for 1,331 yards and 11 touchdowns, while rushing 124 times for 735 yards and 14 touchdowns … Led the Beavers to a 9-2 record and a second round berth in the 2018 Texas State 3A tournament … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Army, Oklahoma, Memphis, Navy, Texas Tech and others.

Nick Turner
DB – 5-11 – 180 – New Orleans, La. (Brother Martin HS)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 49 defensive back in the country and ranked 21st in the state of Louisiana by Rivals … Three-year varsity letterwinner at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana … Tallied 31 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions, while allowing only five receptions on 26 targets … Helped the Crusaders to a 10-3 overall record as a senior in 2019, including a No. 6 ranking in the state, as well as a semifinal berth in the 2019 Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Non-Select Prep Classic Division I playoffs … Recorded a pick six in the semifinal contest against Archbishop Rummel … Was part of a 9-5 team in 2018, with a second round appearance in the state playoffs as a junior … Also lettered in basketball at Brother Martin HS … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Tennessee, Penn State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Houston, Memphis, Texas Tech and others.

Eric Thomas Jr.
LB – 6-3 – 230 – Pensacola, Fla. (Booker T. Washington HS)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 49 weakside defensive end in the country by 247Sports … Four-year letterwinner at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida … Recorded 60 total tackles, 46 solo, with 27 tackles for loss as a senior in 2019 … Racked up 14.5 sacks, while also forcing six fumbles and a pick six … Helped the Wildcats to an 8-2 overall record and a first-round appearance in the 2019 FHSAA Football Class 6A state playoffs … Tallied 4.5 sacks in the Subway Pensacola All-Star Game … Notched 69 stops as a junior for Booker T. Washington HS, with 49 solo tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Colorado State.

Levi Draper
LB – 6-1 – 234 – Collinsville, Okla. (Collinsville HS)
AT OKLAHOMA
SOPHOMORE (2019):
 Played in all 14 games, primarily on special teams … made three solo tackles … tallied first two career tackles against South Dakota (9/7) … was credited with a stop against Texas Tech (9/28). REDSHIRT-FRESHMAN (2018): Played in all 14 games, primarily on special teams. FRESHMAN (2017): Redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL
Early enrollee … ranked as a four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout … ranked as the No. 82 player in the country by Scout, No. 118 by 247Sports, No. 194 by ESPN and No. 215 by Rivals … touted as the No. 2 inside linebacker in the nation by Scout, No. 4 by 247Sports and No. 6 by ESPN and Rivals … rated as the top player in the state of Oklahoma by 247Sports and No. 2 by ESPN and Rivals … U.S. Army All-American … invited to the finals of The Opening … made 143 tackles with 4.0 sacks and two interceptions as a senior and was named first-team all-state by The Oklahoman … helped lead Collinsville to the state championship game as a junior … chose Oklahoma initially over Alabama, Clemson and Florida State, among others.

Khari Johnson
DB – 6-0 – 184 – Suffield, Conn. (Suffield Academy)
Three-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 14 player in the state by 247Sports … Letterwinner at Suffield Academy in Suffield, Connecticut … Played on both sides of the ball, recording 36 tackles, one for loss, with four interceptions, a pick six, two forced fumbles and 12 pass breakups as a senior in 2019 … Helped the Tigers to a perfect 9-0 record and the 2019 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class A Championship … He tallied 29 receptions for 578 yards and five touchdowns, carrying the ball 10 times for 55 yards on the offensive side of the ball in his final year of prep ball … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Georgia, Navy, Pittsburgh and others.

Andy Boykin
DL – 6-4 – 262 – LaGrange, Ga. (Troup County HS)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN …  Rated as the No. 37 strongside defensive end in the country by 247Sports … Ranked 51st in the state of Georgia by ESPN … Four-year varsity letterwinner at Troup County High School in LaGrange, Georgia … Recorded 65 total tackles, with nine tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior in 2019, while blocking four kicks … Helped Troup County HS to a berth in the 2019 Georgia 4A High School Football playoffs … Named to the All-Region 5-4A Defensive team … Made a run through the 2018 state tournament, reaching the semifinals during his junior campaign … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, USC, Wisconsin and others.

Jacorrei Turner
LB – 6-2 – 205 – Atlanta, Ga. (Woodward Academy)
Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated inside the top 100 at his position and in the state of Georgia by ESPN … Four-year varsity letterwinner in both football and basketball at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia … Recorded 45 total tackles as a senior in 2019 for the War Eagles, including 31 solo and 10 for loss … Also forced two fumbles and earned a pass breakup, as well as 27 receptions on offense for 437 yards and seven touchdowns … Helped Woodward Academy to a 13-1 overall record and a semifinal appearance in the 2019 Georgia High School Football Class 4A playoffs … Tallied 51 stops, 39 solo, seven for loss, with two interceptions over 12 games as a junior … Hauled in 11 receptions and a touchdown pass over 107 yards on the offensive side of the ball … Helped Woodward Academy reach the second round of the 2018 state tournament … Earned First-Team All-Region Defensive team honors for Region 4-4A … CHOSE ARKANSAS OVER: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis and others.

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