By Otis Kirk

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas had a busy weekend surrounding football and it has resulted in five new commitments since Sunday.

Arkansas has added Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central 4-star wide receiver Jabari Watkins, 6-2, 185; Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville edge Keith Richmond, 6-3, 227; and a trio from Tennessee in Hendersonville offensive lineman Teagan Parizek, 6-6, 300; Murfreesboro Riverdale defensive lineman James Stewart, 6-2, 290; and Kirkwood tight end Parker Keenan, 6-6, 235.

Watkins and Stewart went public Monday with their pledges and the other three did on Sunday. Stewart visited the weekend of May 29-31 while other four were this past weekend. Watkins is one of the highest-rated recruits to ever commit to Arkansas.

As a junior, Watkins caught 55 passes for 835 yards and 11 touchdowns. He chose the Razorbacks over offers from 36 other schools. He talked about why Arkansas.

“I liked it,” Watkins said Sunday. “I committed today. They seem like a family. First time I came up here I just loved it.”

Larry Smith, who coaches wide receivers, was his lead recruiter.

“Coach Smith is a great coach,” Watkins said. “He’s gonna build you every, every day. He’s gonna be on you like hard. He’s going to make you a better player.”

Keenan chose the Razorbacks over offers from 20 other schools among them Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida State and others. As a junior, Keenan pulled in 24 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Keenan talked about why he chose the Hogs.

“Coach (Morgan) Turner and what Coach (Ryan) Silverfield has going on over here. He came over here to turn this program around and I want to be a part of that. I love the players, the people and the town of Fayetteville. They have a super dedicated fan base. It has been a big dream of mine to play in front of 100,000, 70,000 fans and I want to be a part of this.”

As a junior, Richmond finished with 62 tackles, 17 for loss, 12 sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one pass breakup. Richmond talked about the visit that led him to choosing the Hogs.

“I love the coaching staff, the way the atmosphere is, and I like how they do things around here,” Richmond said. “It was good, the facilities are big. They’ve got a lot of technology going on and all that.”

He listed Oklahoma State, Tulane and South Florida among his other choices before Arkansas.

Stewart canceled all his other official visits and moved his commitment up from July 4 to Monday. The visit was all it took for Stewart to know Arkansas was the place for him.

“Yes sir, I was expecting more fields, cows, everything like that, but it’s really nice, actually,” Stewart said. “It’s buildings, Walmart, and everything that comes with it. I feel like they’re really bought in to everything they’re talking about and they’re not just blowing smoke. They actually back up what they say.

“Really puts stuff in a different perspective for me because this is my first time up here. I really didn’t have a high bar set because this is my first official visit.”

He chose the Razorbacks over Illinois, Boston College, Tulane, Colorado, Maryland and others. The Razorbacks offered him May 31.

Parizek talked about why he chose the Razorbacks.

“You know, just great school, some O-line central,” Parizek said. “Cause of all the coaches, you know, just connection with the players, and kind of felt like home.”

Jeff Myers is his lead recruiter and has made a strong impression on Parizek as did Coach Marcus Johnson.

“Coach Myers seems like a great guy, great coach,” Parizek said. “I’ve only heard good things about him. That’s who came and recruited me at my high school and met Coach Johnson this trip, you know, really liked him, really connected. I’d say I talked to him more than Coach Myers this trip and really liked both guys.”

The Razorbacks will host recruits the next two weekends for official visits. They currently have 15 commitments.

Class of 2027
Bradley Sturdivant, OL, 6-3, 300, Sheridan
Odaefe Oruru, OL 6-6, 310, Jenks, Okla.
Zy'Corius Huzzie, CB, 6-1, 175, LaGrange, Ga.
Jeremiah Dent, RB, 6-0, 200, Marion
Darion Moseley, WR, 6-0, 190, Alabaster Thompson, Ala.
Eli Thornton, DL, 6-3, 315, Valley View
Will Caston, LB, 6-2, 210, Fayetteville
Henry Frazier, OL, 6-4, 290, Rogers
Rocco DePrima, K, 6-0, 195, Columbia Rock Bridge, Mo.
Declan Hamm, P, 6-3, 200, Lewisville, Texas
Parker Keenan, TE, 6-6, 235, Kirkwood, Tenn.
Teagan Parizek, OL, 6-6, 300, Hendersonville, Tenn.
Keith Richmond, Edge, 6-3, 227, Pinson Clay-Chalkville, Ala.
James Stewart, DL, 6-2, 290, Murfreesboro Riverdale. Tenn.
Jelani Watkins, WR, 6-2, 185, Thomasville Thomas County Central, Ga.