'Offer earlier' In-state defector offers tough recruiting advice to Razorbacks

In-state recruiting, or lack thereof, has been a hot-button issue among the Razorback Nation faithful. Heading into this season, the Arkansas coaching staff was on the verge of producing the worst in-state class since 247Sports began ranking recruits.

Thanks to former Razorback tight end D.J. Williams, we may have an answer to why.

Evan Goodwin share all about his Arkansas recruitment

"They're not recruiting the in-state talent they have," 2026 offensive tackle prospect Evan Goodwin told Williams.

Goodwin committed to SMU in June after not including Arkansas in his final top-four list in April. The second-highest-ranked Natural State recruit is a 4-star player with a 0.9178 rating according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.

The 6-foot-7, 325-pounder wasn't thrilled with how Arkansas approached his recruitment, and when Williams asked what they could do better, Goodwin responded, "offer earlier."

"I didn't get my offer until that sophomore/junior year era, where I was starting to get popular. ... Arkansas was just late to the pickup."

Legally, coaches can’t extend verbal offers until June 15 before a player’s junior year, so the timing technically lines up. But that rule hardly stops other programs. Many skirt it by using third-party channels to reach younger recruits and slip offers under the table. In Goodwin’s case, his age clearly wasn’t an obstacle for other schools.

Arkansas football has all but destroyed itself, walking the straight and narrow with NIL. Hunter Yurachek suggested as much at the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week. Perhaps the football team upheld that same philosophy in recruiting under head coach Sam Pittman.

However, it wasn't just when they offered, but how Arkansas' staff failed to build a relationship with the Bauxite product.

"When they did pick up, they didn't really treat you like a No. 1 priority. They were more focused on the out-of-state kids than they were the in-state kids," Goodwin said.

"I'm just one person. My guy down in Sheridan, Bradley Sturdivant [class of 2027, 3-star], that's his school. He probably had a totally different experience."

Goodwin's experience isn't a novel one, unfortunately. A few weeks before Williams' interview with Goodwin, the Mackey Award winner talked to Bryant recruits Kamauri Austin and Matthew Nelson before their annual Salt Bowl match with neighboring town, Benton.

The pair laughed at Williams after he asked if there was any way he could persuade them to become a Razorback.

"I ain't being no Razorback," chimed Austin

“Yeah, I can’t be no Razorback,” echoed Nelson. "They did that to themselves."

Austin further explained his reaction in an exclusive with , and it sounds very similar to Goodwin's recruitment.

“It was good at first…they were on me hard. I was being invited to games,” Arkansas' ninth-ranked recruit said. “[Fouch] came down to see me work out and said I did a good job and looked really impressive on my routes that day. He said he would give me a call back that night, but I never got a call back, and ever since then, we’ve stopped talking.”

One player leaving might be dismissed as a coincidence, but two is a pattern. Salvaging Pittman’s tenure already felt like an uphill climb after the loss to Memphis, but Williams' interviews with these in-state recruits could be just as damning. If Notre Dame comes into Fayetteville and takes down the Hogs on Saturday, his future could be all but sealed.

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