Razorback Football Recruiting Near Bottom in SEC, But in National Top 40

As National Signing Day approaches (Feb.5, 2014),  jittery fans and amped up recruiting experts react to every tweet and other public utterance and outfit choice of teenage boys trying to glean who’s going where and why.

Razorback football recruiting, seemed to take a hit earlier today.

And while the change of heart by Pierce may have some effect on final Razorback football recruiting rankings, ESPN released its most up-to-date Top 40 list of 2014 signing classes showing the Hogs sitting at 32 nationally, up two spots. At No. 32, the Razorbacks’ class would be 11th in the SEC, one spot above Missouri and four spots above Mississippi St. The only SEC football team not in ESPN’s Top 40 is Vanderbilt.

For what it’s worth, Rivals had the Razorback football recruiting class of 2014 at 26th in October, with the positive word from Pierce. Rivals now lists Arkansas as No. 29.

This was the short, sweet message from Ravian in October and our post on him from then.

The word is Ravian Pierce, a highly-recruited tight end from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.’s Plantation High School, has committed to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks. What a way for the Arkansas Razorbacks to march into Florida later this week.

Pierce is a 6-4, 240-pound four-star who had offers from about 20 schools, including Alabama, Ole Miss and Florida, took an official visit to Arkansas last weekend. Reports are he narrowed his schools to Arkansas, Alabama and Florida before making the call to head football coach Bret Bielema to announce his commitment this week.

With Pierce’s selection of the Razorbacks, he becomes the 17th commitment in the 2014 recruiting class and fifth player from talent-rich Florida to choose the Hogs since the arrival of Bielema to Arkansas.

The announcement of the verbal commitment from Pierce now has the Razorbacks in the 26th spot nationally, according to Rivals.

Below are video highlights of Ravian Pierce and and interview with him from earlier this year.