Arkansas football recruiting has suddenly given Razorback fans plenty to talk about after a quiet couple of months—but the headlines aren’t exactly favorable for Sam Pittman and his staff.
In the span of just six days, the Hogs have gone from having two Gilmores in the class to none, losing four-star offensive tackle Bryce Gilmore last Friday and three-star quarterback Jayvon Gilmore on Thursday morning.
Some fans only tune into recruiting news when there’s a negative spin to highlight, but those paying close attention know these two de-commitments have little in common beyond a shared last name.
In fact, they’re about as different as “Happy Gilmore” and its sequel—though in this case, “Happy” and “Unhappy” Gilmore might be the better comparison.
The one that really stung for Arkansas came last week with the loss of Bryce Gilmore. One of the nation’s top tackle prospects, Gilmore could’ve gone just about anywhere but initially committed to the Razorbacks thanks to an excellent recruiting effort from Eric Mateos. Unfortunately, as strong as Arkansas’ pitch was, there’s not much a program can do when Texas Tech circles back and decides to turn up the pressure.
Nobody around here wants to hear it, but the reality is tough: Texas Tech is now in a position to raid commitments from Arkansas—and plenty of others—whenever it wants. The Razorbacks already face that kind of fight in the SEC and don’t exactly need another opponent with deeper pockets. But that’s where Tech is right now, by design, and it’s where Arkansas is right now, also by design.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek hinted earlier this week that the Hogs may need to rethink their NIL approach. The problem? That message feels about four years late. And for fans still frustrated by Saturday’s loss at Ole Miss, it only reinforced why Arkansas continues to lag behind college football’s biggest spenders. Until something drastic changes, programs like Tech will have no problem swiping Arkansas’ recruits—because they’ve simply chosen to invest more money in winning.
The other situation, though, is far murkier. Gaffney (S.C.) quarterback Jayvon Gilmore committed to the Razorbacks on August 1 of last year, a decision that felt a bit rushed considering the distance. He pulled the trigger before his junior season even started and announced in the middle of a recruiting dead period.
Arkansas, led by Bobby Petrino, was more than happy to take him, banking on his raw arm talent and leadership potential. For more than a year, Gilmore appeared fully locked in, making multiple trips to Fayetteville and consistently showing enthusiasm about his future in the program.
Then, this week, everything unraveled. On Tuesday, Gilmore un-enrolled from Gaffney High after a 1–2 start and a quarterback timeshare with fellow senior Banks Button. Just a year ago, he had led the team to a 10–2 record and came within a possession of reaching the state championship.
Details remain scarce, but by Tuesday night Gilmore was no longer at practice, and reports began surfacing on social media. By Wednesday, local outlets were running the story. By Thursday morning, the inevitable headline dropped: “Gilmore de-commits from Arkansas.”
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