FAYETTEVILLE — The recruiting challenges that face the majority of the athletic teams at the University of Arkansas are well-documented.
Arkansas is the second-smallest of the 11 states in the Southeastern Conference footprint, and less than a decade removed from topping an enrollment of 20,000 for the first time, the UA’s alumni base is relatively small compared to other universities in the SEC.
There also is the athletic situation at the state’s two largest public school districts, Little Rock and Fort Smith, which once were feeders to the Razorbacks, but have dried up in football. Arkansas has signed one player from Fort Smith in the last 10 years and none of consequence since Northside’s Matt Jones in 2001.