Arkansas Razorbacks Football

Big, physical offensive linemen don't grow on trees, so Arkansas will be excited they were able to land a very promising one in Frank Ragnow. Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the news:

According to 247 Sports, Ragnow measures at 6'6" and 291 pounds. Hailing from Chanhassen, Minnesota, the 4-star prospect is ranked as the No. 314 recruit in the country, the No. 25 offensive tackle and the No. 3 recruit from the state of Minnesota.

He accumulated his share of awards, being named to the Minneapolis Star Tribune All-Metro team and was also selected to the Associated Press and Minnesota Vikings' All-State squads.

ESPN (Insider) offers the following scouting report on Ragnow:

This is a tough, dominant run blocker with the size and athleticism for the offensive tackle position at the BCS level of play and he possesses a strong, sturdy frame capable of supporting additional body mass over time. Has good overall playing strength and strong hands. Playing out of a three-point stance we detect a little ankle and knee stiffness, which does not appear to hinder his ability to play on his feet and adjust to quickness in tight spaces.

ESPN adds that he "will need some time and most likely a redshirt year prior to competing for starting time at the BCS level of competition."

Without question, Ragnow is a mauler in the running game. He finishes his blocks and plays to the whistle, drives defenders off of the line of scrimmage and plays with a real tenacity. His skill set may ultimately translate better to the right tackle position, though his technique in the passing game can be improved upon with time and reps.

Check him out in action below:

He also played defensive end, accumulating 102 tackles, 14 sacks and two fumble recoveries at the position over his last three seasons, according to MaxPreps. And he's fairly nimble for a man of his size, evidenced by the fact that he also plays basketball for Chanhassen.

But his future is definitely on the offensive line. With a little patience and coaching up, Ragnow should be a very nice player for Arkansas in a few years.

National signing day on Feb. 5 is inching closer and closer with each passing day. Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema and his staff are in full-recruiting mode, hosting a group of prospects last weekend and another important group this weekend.

The Hogs have 19 commits for the 2014 class and are looking to add onto it. Arkansas has over 20 targets it is after, with some being more important than others. Out of all those targets, three are considered top priorities.

The good news for the Razorbacks is that they have a very realistic shot at landing their top three remaining targets for this year's class. That doesn't guarantee anything, though, and Bielema and his staff still have a lot of closing to do to call Feb. 5 a success.

Here, we'll review Arkansas' chances of landing its top three targets for signing day.

Frank Ragnow

Four-star offensive tackle Frank Ragnow, who hails from Chanhassen, Minn., via 247Sports, has been involved with the Hogs for a while now. Bielema and O-line coach Sam Pittman know that pulling Ragnow away from his home state would be a huge victory for the program.

Ragnow has great size at 6'6", 291 pounds and is an advanced run blocker. He has to work on his pass blocking, but he has the ability to step in and make an impact early. He recently tweeted his final three schools, which include Florida State, Minnesota and the Razorbacks:

Many have continued to count the Hogs out, with 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions giving Arkansas a zero percent chance of landing him. However, they also gave Ohio State a seven percent chance, and it didn't even make his top three.

Bielema and Co. have to feel good that they're going to be among the three Ragnow chooses. The Daily Gopher wrote that it is believed his decision will come down to Minnesota and Arkansas, with the Gophers being the favorites. Still, the Hogs have made it this far, and it wouldn't be a total shock if he went with them considering they have one of the nation's best O-line coaches in Pittman.

It still is going to be hard to get him away from his home state, giving the Hogs more a 40 to 45 percent chance of being his college destination. That might not seem like a lot, but it's enough to make Minnesota fans uncomfortable while waiting for his decision.

JoJo Robinson

Two big needs for Arkansas are defensive backs and wide receivers, and 247Sports' 4-star athlete JoJo Robinson can play either position for the Razorbacks.

Robinson has good speed, having run a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash, and athleticism. He also has very good ball skills and hands, both of which would help him at the cornerback or wideout positions. This weekend will be huge for Arkansas in trying to land him with him making his official visit.

He has been considered a soft verbal to Florida State for well over a year now, but the key word is soft. He is being recruited to Arkansas by linebackers coach Randy Shannon, who has had a big impact on the Hogs presence in the Sunshine State. HawgSports.com just updated their Big Red Board (subscription required) and said that despite his soft verbal to the Seminoles, the Razorbacks have a "very good chance at landing him."

Even the Crystal Ball Predictions on Robinson have him heavily favoring Arkansas, with 91 percent percent predicting he will choose the Hogs. 

Still, there's always the chance of him deciding to stay in state and remain with Florida State, so I give a 75 percent chance to call the Hogs come Feb. 5.

Solomon Thomas

A composite 5-star defensive end according to 247Sports, Solomon Thomas would be the signature of the day if Bielema can land the highly coveted prospect from Coppell, Texas. 

Thomas recently eliminated Texas and Ohio State, leaving Arkansas, Stanford and UCLA as the finalist. Stanford appears to be the favorite, with the Hogs sitting in second. The Crystal Ball Predictions had 80 percent saying he'd go to Stanford and Arkansas just two.

However, don't write off the Hogs. Those predictions also gave Texas and Ohio State 11 and seven percent chances and, now, neither one of the programs is even in consideration. 

As the Big Red Board stated, "Arkansas has a lot working in its favor, too." He was moved from medium to high interest on it and will be making his official visit to The Hill this weekend. Thomas has a sister named Ella who is a student at Arkansas, and his dad does business in the Fayetteville area.

It's going to be a challenge to best Stanford, but his visit this weekend could be the deciding factor. Because the Hogs get the last crack at him and have family ties with him, his chances at picking the Hogs seem to be nearing a 50-50 tossup between them and Stanford.

Even landing one of these guys would be huge for the class, but landing all three would have Bielema doing backflips. That will be tough, though in recruiting, you just never really know what is going to happen until a recruit makes his decision.

Bryan Heater is the featured columnist for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Follow him on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

The coaching carousel has slowed down a bit from earlier in the month, but it hasn't completely stopped spinning. 

It took more than a week, but former Arkansas Razorbacks defensive coordinator Chris Ash's departure to Ohio State finally became official on Thursday afternoon, when the Buckeyes named him their co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

"I was attracted to this position because it is Ohio State, and I had to wonder if I ever would have this opportunity again," Ash said in a release on Ohio State's official website. "This is one of the top five college football programs in the country. It has tremendous history and tradition, and it is a great academic institution."

The move isn't a surprise. Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported that Ash was making the jump to Columbus on Jan. 14, but it didn't become official until Thursday.

What is a surprise are the specifics surrounding the move.

According to Ohio State's student daily The Lantern, Ash will make $520,000 per year at his new position—a $30,000 per year pay cut from his previous position at Arkansas according to the USA Today coaches' salary database.

Is that a bad look for Arkansas? For now, yes.

One of the primary reasons head coach Bret Bielema made the move to Fayetteville last year was because it provided him the resources to hire and retain quality assistant coaches. Now one of the coaches he brought with him is bailing after one season for less money.

But that bad look may only be temporary.

Ash's departure opens the door for Bielema to promote from within, and one candidate who's waiting in the wings is current linebackers coach and former Miami (Fla.) head coach Randy Shannon.

Shannon was the defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes from 2001-2006, during which time he posted five top-10 defenses and won a national title after the 2001 season. His defenses struggled a bit when he was elevated to the 'Canes head coach, but he wouldn't have head coaching responsibilities if he were promoted at Arkansas.

He turned down the Maryland defensive coordinator job in 2011 because it would cost him $1.5 million in Miami buyout money, according to The Baltimore Sun. The next year, he took the linebackers coaching job at TCU before joining Bielema's staff in Fayetteville in 2013.

Other coaches have been rumored for the position, including Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom according to FootballScoop.com:

Heard some noise over past few weeks about Memphis DC Barry Odom being a hot target from other BCS programs. He’s staying & they are happy

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) January 16, 2014

But the lack of movement on the defensive coordinator front from Bielema suggests two things: He's prioritizing recruiting, and he may have a candidate already in mind.

Coaching searches take time, and considering Arkansas is six players away from a full class of 25 in 2014 and currently ranked 11th in the conference, placing an emphasis on the "Jimmys and Joes" rather than the X's and O's is a good idea. 

It's an even better idea if those X's and O's aren't going to change much, and the new coordinator can step in without much of a transition period.

Ash taking less money to take a lesser title at Ohio State, coupled with the absence of a sense of urgency for Bielema to replace him, is a sign that Randy Shannon could become Arkansas' next defensive coordinator.

If that's the case, consider it a home run for Bielema and the Hogs.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer for Bleacher Report, and can be reached at bsallee@bleacherreport.com. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com and the University of Arkansas, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.

Follow @BarrettSallee