Arkansas recruiting class down 9 commitments in the past month
Union Parish (La.) interior offensive lineman Ari Slocum decommitted from Arkansas on Tuesday night, joining a significant exodus from the program’s 2026 recruiting class.
The three-star prospect had been committed since January, when he chose the Razorbacks over Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Purdue and a handful of other programs. He becomes the sixth player to decommit from Arkansas since head coach Sam Pittman’s firing and the ninth this month.
“All I can say is wow,” Slocum told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman reacting to the news that Pittman was fired on Sunday. “Him being head coach definitely was a big part of why I committed.”
On Tuesday alone, he joined Auburn (Ala.) three-star defensive lineman Carnell Jackson and Lawton (Okla.) MacArthur three-star safety Adam Auston in backing off their pledges.
Earlier this month, four-star offensive tackle Bryce Gilmore decommitted and flipped to Texas Tech, which seemed to get the ball rolling. A week later, three-star quarterback Jayvon Gilmore announced his decision to reopen his recruitment, and just a few days after that, coveted tight end Jaivion Martin did the same.
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New Razorbacks staff will have a lot of work to do
Once Pittman’s firing was reported, the floodgates opened. Three-star wide receiver Keymian Henderson decommitted soon after the news came out on Sunday. The next day, four-star linebacker JJ Bush and three-star linebacker Caleb Gordon exited as well.
After all of those departures, the class now ranks No. 56 nationally and No. 15 in the SEC, per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Two blue-chippers — wide receiver Dequane Prevo and EDGE Colton Yarbrough — remain, but they are certainly going to be sought-after by other programs looking to make a late-season recruiting splash.
The Razorbacks still have 18 commitments despite the defections, but nearly a dozen of them rank outside the top 1,000 players nationally. Along with replacing what is expected to be a significant transfer portal exodus, Arkansas’ new staff will also have to work hard to rebuild their class before National Signing Day the first week of December.