Arkansas Business

Arkansas lost several key contributors off the 2011 football team and stands to take another hit this year when some key seniors head to the NFL as well as a few juniors who could declare early for the draft.

The fact Arkansas is losing so many players from the past two years has caused it to hit the junior colleges extremely hard. The Razorbacks could sign the most junior college players this year they have signed in several years according to a source, who said immediate help could help the program continue to win at the level it has experienced in recent years.

Defensive help is an area where the Razorbacks will be particularly interested in help from the junior colleges. The Jayhawk Conference in Kansas has supplied Arkansas with some good help in the past and coaches are back there again this year.

Recently, a trio of recruits from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College came to Arkansas on an unofficial visit. Athlete Jatavious Stewart (5-11, 180), defensive tackle Toby Johnson, (6-4, 290) and linebacker Antonio Longino (6-3, 230) and defensive tackle Ben Bradley (6-2, 315) all hold offers from Arkansas. Johnson, Longino and linebacker Kenny Flowers (6-2, 220) made the visit to Fayetteville and left impressed. All five have several big-time offers with Johnson among the first junior college players to get an offer from the Razorbacks in this recruiting class. Longino has Arkansas very high on his list along with Texas A&M and a few others.

Woodland Hills (Calif.) Pierce Community College's pair of defensive tackle Marquel Combs (6-3, 300) and linebacker Marcus Jenkins-Moore (6-3, 210) both hold offers from Arkansas. Combs, who played high school football in Memphis, has committed to Ole Miss, but still will take an official visit to Arkansas in September for the Alabama game. Jenkins-Moore said recently Arkansas is among the schools he likes the most and that he and Combs have talked about the possibility of going to the same school.

Weed (Calif.) College of the Siskiyous linebacker Myke Tavarres (6-2, 220) holds an offer from Arkansas as well as Arizona, Rutgers, Oregon State, Texas Tech and others.

A few more defenders holding early offers from Arkansas includes Dodge City (Kan.) Community College defensive end Marcus Hardison (6-4, 290) and Salinas (Calif.) Hartnell Community College cornerback Carroll Washington (5-11, 177).

Some top defenders who may be close to getting offers from Arkansas includes Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College linebacker Martrell Spaight (6-1, 220) Yuma (Ariz.) Arizona Western Junior College safety Patrick Martin (6-1, 202) Scooba (Miss.) East Mississippi Community College defensive end Jarran Reed (6-4, 310) Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College safety Kevin Short (6-2, 185) and Arkansas Baptist linebacker Thamail Morgan (6-0, 215). Spaight played his high school football at North Little Rock while Morgan is from Cave City.

Arkansas is also hoping to add an offensive tackle from the junior colleges. Josiah St. John (6-6, 280) of Fresno City College in California and San Pablo (Calif.) Contra Costa's Desmond Harrison (6-8, 315) both hold offers from Arkansas. Harrison has Arkansas, Arizona State and Boise State high on his list along with Arizona State, Oregon, California, Ole Miss and Purdue.

In addition to Hutchinson's Stewart who can play wide receiver, the Razorbacks have also made an offer to Goodman (Miss.) Holmes Community College's Jonathan Rumph (6-4, 200). Arkansas also made an offer to Raymond (Miss.) Hinds Community College wide receiver Quantavius Leslie (6-4, 191) but he has opted to attend LSU.

Rumph has SEC schools Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Tennessee after him fas well as numerous schools outside the SEC.

Arkansas has also offered Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College tight end Jovon Wilson (6-4, 255) a scholarship. Last year, Arkansas was in the final running for Scottsdale tight end Blake Jackson, who chose Oklahoma State over Georgia and the Razorbacks late. Arkansas is recruiting Pulaski Academy tight end Hunter Henry, 6-4, 245, and Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian tight end Christian Morgan (6-4, 255) as well. If Arkansas were to get both Henry and Morgan they would likely stop taking commitments at that position. They also have a commitment from Patterson (La.) tight end-wide receiver Deondre Skinner (6-4, 225).

Quick hits:

• Bolivar (Mo.) 4-star Class of 2014 quarterback Rafe Peavey (6-2, 205) visited Arkansas on Wednesday. He plans to come back to this weekend's football camp and could make a decision soon afterwards. He has several offers from schools including Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri, UCLA and others. His father, Jack Peavey, was a graduate assistant under Jack Crowe at Arkansas.