Arkansas Razorbacks Football

For many teams across the country, the 2013 season is officially over with a bowl game out of the question. The major focus for these programs now shifts for the next two months to recruiting before National Signing Day on February 2. 

The Arkansas Razorbacks, to the chagrin of fans, are one of those teams. 

Head coach Bret Bielema and his staff have a lot of work ahead of them to get the program to where Bielema and athletic director Jeff Long envisioned when Long hired him last December. A lot of the building starts on the recruiting trail.

Arkansas currently has 17 commitments for the 2014 class. Bielema has reeled in some very talented prospects who should come in and compete in the spring for spots in the starting lineup. However, there are still a number of prospects at the top of the Razorbacks' wish list who would make this a very strong haul for the program. 

Here's a breakdown of the top three remaining prospects on the board for the Hogs on both sides of the ball and where they stand heading into the home stretch, as well as a few other guys behind the top three.

Offense

Name	Stars	Position	Height	Weight
Adonis Jennings	4	WR	6'3"	185
Brian Wallace	4	OT	6'6"	304
Jaden Gault	4	OT	6'7"	305

The Razorbacks are set for the immediate future at running back with Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams in the backfield. They also perhaps got their quarterback of the future in 4-star Rafe Peavey, who will enroll early on January 10.

The biggest needs are at the wide receiver and offensive line positions, with the wideouts being the most immediate unit that has to improve. 

Arkansas' No. 1 receiver for 2014 appears to be Keon Hatcher, who had a very strong finish to the season. However, besides him and tight end Hunter Henry, the Hogs will have pretty much no experience. With three of the team's top five receiving yards leaders gone—including fullback Kiero Small, who was fifth on the team in receiving yards and was a good dump down option out of the backfield—Bielema needs to bring in some wideouts.

The Hogs have three commits for the position in 3-stars Corey McBride, Jared Cornelius and Torrance Mosley, who is projected as a wideout though he's listed as an athlete. Arkansas is looking to add one or two more, and 4-star Adonis Jennings is high on its board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV6P_cq_f9o

Jennings decommitted from Rutgers in November and NJ.com reported that he set a visit date for the Hill on Jan. 24. He has a good frame and speed, clocking a 4.48 40-yard dash time. He also took an official visit to Iowa on Nov. 1 and has one at Pittsburgh on Jan. 17, with the Panthers presumed to be the leader for his services as of now.

Bielema is going to have to do a lot of work, but the Hogs are in the race for him. Jennings would be a huge get for Arkansas.

Also keep your eye on 6'3", 180-pound receiver Ryeshene Bronson, who is rated a 3-star prospect with some ranking him as high as a 4-star. He's committed to South Florida, but HawgSports.com reported on their Big Red Board that he recently reached out to linebackers coach Randy Shannon and is now setting up a visit.

Getting Jennings and him would no doubt be big-time for the receiving corps.

The offensive line is also a need, but not in the same way as the wideout unit. Arkansas has solid linemen and a very talented young core led by freshmen Dan Skipper and Denver Kirkland, both of whom started the majority of the season. Reeve Koehler, who redshirted this year with an injury, also has big-time potential.

Though the Hogs have talent, the O-line always can use more depth, and, with Arkansas losing two starters, it's high on the board this recruiting cycle.

Jovan Pruitt, a mammoth 3-star tackle from Texas, is the only line commit so far. Bielema and O-line coach Sam Pittman are going to be working hard to snag a few more, which isn't a surprise for two guys who love playing smashmouth football.

Arkansas is making a big push for 3-star tackle Brian Wallace. His official visit to Fayetteville is this weekend on Dec. 6, followed by his official visit to Alabama next weekend. He's a strong, prototypical lineman who you'd expect to see on a Bielema-coached team. 

247Sports.com has Alabama and Iowa as the teams to beat, but Wallace's teammate, 3-star defensive tackle Armon Watts, is committed to the Hogs and is accompanying him on his visit.

The Razorbacks could be dark horses for 4-star tackle Jaden Gault. His pledge is to Wisconsin right now, but the Hogs got him on campus for an official Nov. 2, and according to Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat Gazzette he liked what he saw. Pittman should be going at Gault hard leading up to NSD to try and flip him.

Also pay attention to 3-star Frank Ragnow, who Davenport reported reported loved his visit to Fayetteville. He has a few more visits left, but the Hogs appear to be the leader.

Defense

Name	Stars	Position	Height	Weight
Craig Evans	4	DT	6'3"	305
Steven Parker	4	S	6'2"	188
Sharieff Rhaheed	4	LB	6'2"	202

The defense is in much worse shape and needs help in every area. 

The most glaring weakness is the linebackers. The unit was very inexperienced coming into 2013 and was overmatched against SEC teams. The biggest problem was tackling and pass coverage, with poor tackling plaguing them more than anything.

Brooks Ellis and Otha Peters are solid, but the Razorbacks have made this a point of emphasis in recruiting. Khalia Hackett and Dwayne Eugene, both 3-stars, are on board, and a few more are being targeted, most notably 3-star Sharieff Rhaheed.

Rhaheed made an official visit on Aug. 30 and has made several other unofficials. He's a guy who can cover sideline to sideline and seems to always be where the ball is. Stealing him out of Florida would really help to solidify the recruiting haul for this unit.

The Razorbacks are also making a run at Miami commit Mike Smith, a 4-star linebacker who is planning on taking official visits, with Arkansas being one of them. Smith is another Fla. prospect, and with Shannon, who has deep roots in the state, the Hogs are going to continue to recruit the Sunshine State a lot.

The secondary is also an area of concern after it finished the year tied for 74th nationally in passing yards allowed per game at 235.0.

Bielema has three commits in the secondary, led by 3-star Henre' Tolliver, who also has a 4-star composite rating. He also has pledges from 3-star cornerback Chris Murphy and 3-star safety Santos Ramirez.

Highest on the wish list should be safety Steven Parker. He has great size and is a pure playmaker at the position. He also has great speed for a safety with a 4.50 time in the 40. It's going to be very tough to lure him away from his home state of Oklahoma, but his hometown of Jenks is just a short drive down highway 412 to Fayetteville.

Arkansas is also in the top five for 3-star safety Shawn Boone and is making a push for 4-star safety Kiy Hester, another Rutgers decommitment who is visiting The Hill on Dec. 13. 

As far as cornerbacks are concerned, the Hogs have just a few more prospects on the board, with the top one being 3-star Cornelius Floyd, yet another Floridian. Arkansas is also on the tail of 3-stars Lamont Simmons and Dominick Sanders, who is projected as a cornerback. 

Last is the defensive line, which also had its fair share of struggles this season. Chris Smith and Byran Jones are gone, but the good news is that a large percentage of the rotation were underclassmen. Still, like the offensive line, it never hurts to add more depth.

The biggest pickup was 4-star tackle Bijhon Jackson, who has a never-ending motor. The loss of 4-star in-state tackle Josh Frazier to Alabama hurt, but getting 4-star Craig Evans to flip from Wisconsin would help ease the pain.

Evans originally was turned on to Wisconsin by Bielema and his staff, which built a relationship with him from early on in his high school career, he told Davenport. He visited Arkansas on Sept. 14, and though he has been committed to the Badgers for some time now, the door is far from closed for the Hogs. 

You can also follow 4-star defensive end Solomon Thomas. He's a long shot for the Razorbacks, but he has ties to the Natural State as his dad does business around the Fayetteville area.

Bottom Line

These next two months are vital for Bielema in his vision for rebuilding the Arkansas program. There are many areas that need upgrades, and a big way to fix that is on the recruiting trail.

Landing even half of the guys listed would be a huge plus for the Razorbacks. That's not going to be easy, but Arkansas has the support and facilities to match up with the best in the country. If Bielema can land a good percentage of these prospects, it's going to help the team with depth, talent and competitiveness with veterans doing everything they can to keep their starting spots.

Many of the prospects on the board could immediately step in and earn significant playing time or even a starting gig. Now it's just up to Bielema and company to go out and close the deals.

For more information on the Arkansas Razorbacks, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com unless otherwise noted.

It was an admirable performance and one that pretty much no one expected, but the Arkansas Razorbacks couldn't close out the game in a 31-27 loss in Death Valley. 

I've never been one for moral victories, but the effort put forth in the Razorbacks' loss is a big positive heading into the offseason for head coach Bret Bielema and his Hogs. 

You can start with quarterback Brandon Allen, who has been widely criticized by many for his poor decision making and accuracy, including myself. 

Allen's completion percentage at one point was as low as 44.9 percent. He had a streak of six games in which he completed under 50 percent of his passes.

However, Allen finished the season with three-straight games over 50 percent, improving each game from 56.3 to 58.8 to 66.5 Friday in Tiger Stadium.It was his best completion mark since the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette when he completed 68.2 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The season opener statistically was his best game, but his performance at LSU was Allen's most impressive outing of the season. 

He would finish with 178 yards on 19-for-29 passing with two touchdowns and one pick. But what made this his best game was that he was efficient and managed the game in one of the hardest places to play in all of college football. Allen is going to be in a battle for the starting gig this offseason, but his performance is something he can build off of.

Though he averaged just 6.1 YPC and had only six completions over 10 yards, Allen was accurate with his throws and and made good decisions. 

His shoulder had supposedly been bothering him weeks after injuring it against Southern Miss in game three. That probably factored into him doing so poorly for a stretch of games, but it appears that he has just about fully recovered, which is indicated by his stats in the final three games of the year.

Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk With Bo tweeted after the game Bielema's thought on Allen:

His improvements to end the season raised his completion percentage to 49.6 for the season, which isn't good but is nearly five points better than what it was through eight games as the starter. If he can keep getting better in the offseason and build off how he finished 2013, the quarterback battle could get very heated. 

The wide receivers, which didn't necessarily help Allen's cause throughout the year, have a lot of positives to take away from the LSU game and the end of the year as well.

With the team's top receiver, senior Javontee Herndon, gone, it seemed with the lack of production from the other guys that the Hogs were in dire need of some more wideouts. It's still going to be a need, but sophomore Keon Hatcher really stepped up in the last few games and freshman tight end Hunter Henry continued to show why he's going to be a very special player for the Hogs.

Hatcher had a high of 45 yards in the first eight games and just 125 total yards receiving. In the last four, he had 221 yards, capped off by his seven-reception, 84-yard game at LSU. 

Before his strong closing, it looked as if the Hogs weren't going to have any proven receivers returning for 2014. All of a sudden, Hatcher looks to be the No. 1 receiver heading into the offseason. His game at the Tigers showed just how good he can be. The LSU secondary had a hard time keeping up with him as Hatcher was making plays all over the field. He has great hands and with an offseason of work, expect him to have a breakout year as a junior. 

And then there's Henry. 

Simply put, this kid is going to be great. After three frustrating games, he had five catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers to give him 409 yards and four touchdowns for his first year. Henry also has great hands and his size makes it hard for defenders to keep him from grabbing balls. 

He and Hatcher are going to be prime targets going forward for whoever wins the quarterback job, which is justified by how they closed out the year against a very good Tiger defense.

Let's not forget the defense either. Yes, it gave up 470 yards with 238 and the 49-yard dagger at the end, but it also made some key plays that kept the Hogs in the game. 

The defense allowed LSU to score on its first two possessions, but held the Tigers on their next three drives, including forcing and recovering a fumble that allowed Arkansas to take a 17-14 lead going into halftime.

The defense came up big again to open the second half. LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger tried to make a big play, but Alan Turner picked his pass off at Arkansas' 37-yard line and returned it all the way to the LSU 39 to set up another field goal.

The third big play the unit made came with Arkansas nursing a 27-21 lead in the fourth quarter. On fourth and two at the Arkansas 18, the Tigers went for the first down on a pass from Mettenberger to Jeremy Hill, but the Hogs hit him after one yard, giving the offense the ball and a chance to extend the lead.

That didn't happen and the defense eventually allowed the Tigers to get a field goal and touchdown to win the game. They gave up some big plays and still have a lot to work on, but the point is the unit made some big-time plays in crucial moments of the game, something it hasn't done all year.

Of course, the defense has a ton to work on going forward, but it responded well in critical moments on the road for most of the game, which can be a building block heading into the offseason.

The season is now behind the Hogs and spring and fall practices are going to be full of position battles. The Razorbacks and coach Bielema have a lot of work to do. There is no denying that. 

However, in a season where there have been few positives for this team, their effort in Death Valley over the weekend is something Bielema and the players have to use as a positive going into what is going to be a very interesting offseason. 

All stats are from ESPN.com and NCAA.com. For more info on the Razorbacks football team, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals. 

Arkansas hasn't found significant on-field success during the first year of coach Bret Bielema's tenure, but the program continues to bring in quality talent for the future. The Razorbacks landed a coveted 2015 prospect Monday when 4-star Danish standout Hjalte Froholdt committed to the team, according to 247Sports.

The 6'4", 282-pound defensive tackle is the fifth member of Arkansas' 2015 recruiting class. Bielema has already assembled a group that features four 4-star linemen and Ty Storey, one of the country's top junior quarterbacks.

Froholdt's journey to Division I football is highly unique. He is a native of Denmark, where he played football this season.

His recruitment took off following an eye-opening sophomore season. Froholdt suited up for Warren G. Harding High School (Warren, Ohio) in 2012 while spending the school year in America as an exchange student.

He visited Arkansas in October, but a 3-9 season for Arkansas didn't phase his interest in the team.

"I don't think their record this year reflects anything when it comes to where they are going to be," Froholdt told Scout.com's Dudley Dawson (subscription required). "You watch, they are going to win a couple of big games in season two that they just didn't finish off this season and lost," Froholdt added. "It is a program that will flourish."

Despite a small sample size in the United States, Froholdt collected offers from Florida State, Penn State, Ohio State and Louisville. Michigan and Alabama extended offers in October.

Instead of waiting for his return to the country to wrap up a global recruiting process, the dominant defender is bound for Fayetteville following a highly anticipated senior season.

Bret Bielema and Arkansas were about one minute away from redefining an otherwise disappointing season.

But even though their upset bid against LSU fell short, the heart shown by the Razorbacks brings hope for their future—and the future of their first-year head coach.

Losers of eight straight and fresh off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Mississippi State, it would've been easy for the Hogs to pack it in for the season and fold on the road to the heavily favored Tigers.

Arkansas battled back and forth with LSU early then took a 17-14 lead just before halftime. Midway through the third, the Tigers fought back, as running back Jeremy Hill broke away for a 52-yard touchdown, landing a haymaker to the underdog Hogs.

But still, Bielema's team battled. Quarterback Brandon Allen hooked up with freshman tight end Hunter Henry—one of several young contributors for UA—for his second touchdown reception of the game.

That score gave Arkansas the lead that it would hold until the final two minutes.

It looked like the Hogs would hold on and post a marquee win to close the season, particularly after the fourth-quarter injury to starting LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger. Their hopes looked even better when punter Sam Irwin-Hill pinned the Tigers to their own one-yard line before their final drive.

However, filling in for Mettenberger, freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings led an intrepid 99-yard scoring drive, capped with a beautiful deep ball to Travin Dural for the game-winning score, giving LSU a 31-27 win.

By the end of the action in Death Valley, LSU's talent won out.

But even in the defeat, Arkansas showed that it has what it takes to hang with the SEC's best. More importantly, Bielema showed that he can motivate a team to compete against tough league foes, even amid a season lost.

Early in the year, when Arkansas was being clobbered by South Carolina and Alabama by a combined score of 104-7 in consecutive games, Bielema looked like he had no place in the conference.

But after the 'Bama-USC fiascos, Arkansas took a bye week and made a marked improvement.

The best teams in college football are the ones that are able to show visible improvement from August to December. While a 3-9 record doesn't show it, that is exactly what Arkansas was able to do this season.

The Hogs were within 11 points of Auburn in the fourth quarter, lost to Ole Miss by just 10 points, took Mississippi State to overtime and nearly upset LSU.

While Bielema likely wouldn't admit to any moral victories, all four of those could count as psychological wins for the future.

Season 1 in Fayetteville might not have gone as planned for Bielema, but he showed that he has a blueprint set that will lead to sustained success.

Recruiting has gone well—Arkansas boasts two of the SEC's best freshmen in Henry and running back Alex Collins. Development will come as Bielema's tenure rolls along.

And if he can continue to lead his Hogs to improve over the course of future seasons, they'll be back competing for SEC titles before you can say "karma."

Arkansas freshman running back Alex Collins rushed for his 1,000th yard of the season against LSU on Friday, giving the Razorbacks a silver lining and foundation in the midst of a turbulent year.

According to Robbie Neiswanger of Arkansas News, he is just the second freshman in school history to reach this mark, following the footsteps of only Darren McFadden:

McFadden, who finished his Arkansas career with 4,590 rushing yards and eventually become a top-five NFL draft pick, is elite company for Collins to join. On top of that, according to Dave Miller of the National Football Post, he is just the 10th true freshman to crack 1,000 yards in SEC history.

Collins was one of the best running back prospects in the Class of 2013, ranking No. 17 overall on the 247Sports rankings. He came to Arkansas with much hoopla and chatter, especially after his mom tried to block him from signing with the Razorbacks.

He eventually landed in Fayetteville, though, and so far Collins has been a revelation. He has faded since becoming a national darling at the start of the year, but he has still been a pleasure to watch run.

Sure, he may have only topped 100 yards once in the last eight games, but a lot of that has had to do with forces beyond his control. Arkansas has trailed in almost every game, being forced to pass more than it would like, and he also splits time with Jonathan Williams in the backfield.

Collins has a solid, powerful running style that meshes well with Bielema's downhill scheme. As the personnel starts to fit his style, the Razorbacks should get better and at least become competitive in the SEC.

Collins finished with 28 yards on 11 carries in Arkansas' heartbreaking, 31-27 defeat.

It has been a pretty forgettable season for the Arkansas Razorbacks in head coach Bret Bielema's first year. Overall, the product on the field just isn't good enough to seriously compete in the SEC. 

The quarterback play has been shoddy, the defense needs some major upgrades in all phases and the offense hasn't been able to move the ball consistently with the poor quarterback play and less-than-stellar wideouts.

You would think that on a team that has been as bad as Arkansas has it would be hard to find a most valuable player for the 2013 season. That couldn't be more wrong. In fact, naming an MVP for the Razorbacks is no-brainer. 

That award belongs to running back Alex Collins, not only the best freshman back in the SEC, but in the entire country.

If you haven't watched this guy yet, you're missing out.

Collins has burst onto the scene in just his first year, running for 946 yards through 10 games on 169 carries. He leads all freshman backs at the FBS level in total rushing yards and is 29th in the country.

If you really want to put into perspective how good he has been, Collins needs just 84 yards in each of the Hogs' last two games to break Darren McFadden's freshman rushing record at Arkansas.

McFadden was pretty good to say the least, so that would be a huge accomplishment for Collins in his first year.

He already did something that not even McFadden or any other SEC freshman back could do by becoming the first back in conference history to rush for over 100 yards in each of his first three games. Though fellow tailback Jonathan Williams has also been very good this season, if Arkansas didn't have Collins, the season could be even worse.

He was a huge reason why the Razorbacks played the Texas A&M Aggies so tough. In that, 45-33, loss, Collins ran for 116 yards and a touchdown, which isn't eye-popping. But, he did that on just 14 attempts, averaging 8.3 yards per carry.

His 69 yards versus South Carolina seems even less impressive, but once again, he did it with only a handful of attempts. Collins gained 6.9 YPC on the Gamecocks and scored, this time with just 10 carries. 

Pure stats-wise, his best game came against Samford. Collins scorched the Bulldogs for 172 yards and a trip to the end zone on 24 rushes, averaging 7.2 yards a pop. He's a lock to be named a Freshman All-American, and if there were an award for the best freshman back in the NCAA, he would undoubtedly take that too.

The closest freshman in the country to him in rushing yards is Baylor's Shock Linwood, who is 21 spots below Collins nationally at No. 50 with 812 yards.

It's not just freshmen that he stacks up well against, either. Collins is holding his own against the best in the nation.

In the best conference in all of college football, Collins ranks fifth in total rushing yards. What he's doing is even more impressive when you take into account the fact that opponents are stacking the box, since quarterback Brandon Allen has struggled mightily and hasn't provided any threat through the air. 

Even with eight, nine or even 10 men in the box, Collins is still averaging 5.6 YPC and using his elite skill set to make big plays for Arkansas.

He has superior ball-carrying vision, identifying the holes in the defense and quickly hitting them. He's also very patient and is great at allowing his offensive line to set up blocks and following behind them. His other skill that stands out is his ability to start and stop on a dime.

Collins makes great cuts and can instantly slow down to juke a defender, then quickly accelerate. His shiftiness makes it awfully tough for opponents to get a square hit on him.  

He's just a freshman, but you wouldn't know it by watching him play. It's scary to think that he's only going to get better as his career unfolds. There's a ton of work Bielema has to do to get this program where he wants it to be, but the Razorbacks are set in the backfield for the near future with Collins.

He has been far and away the best player for Arkansas in 2013 and with a lot of football left ahead of him, Collins could be the team's MVP for the next few years.

For more info on the Arkansas Razorbacks, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals. 

In 2005, a young freshman by the name of Darren McFadden burst onto the national scene with 1,113 yards rushing, a freshman record for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He would finish his career with 4,590 yards (second all-time in the SEC) in just three years, becoming only the second player in NCAA history to win the Doak Walker Award twice and the first to ever finish second in the Heisman voting twice.

McFadden's college career is filled with accolades, and he is considered one of the best running backs in SEC history. He is by far the best back to ever wear the Razorback uniform, and rightfully so. But, Arkansas currently has a freshman by the name of Alex Collins that could have something to say about that before his career is over.

Collins, a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com, leads all freshman backs in the country with 946 yards on the ground, which is good for 22nd in the FBS. With two games left, he needs 168 yards to break McFadden's school record for rushing yards by a freshman. 

So, this brings up the question: Could Collins be better than McFadden when his time on the Hill is all said and done?

Conventional wisdom would tell you no, that McFadden is and always will be in a class of his own in the state of Arkansas. However, Collins has all the ability in the world to be one of the best backs to ever come through Fayetteville and already is showing off skills that could make him an elite back in the years to come.

What made McFadden so good in college was his unique blend of size, speed and power. Though Collins isn't as big as McFadden, he also possesses speed and power.

However, he uses his in a different way. McFadden was a straight-forward, power runner. Because he is 6'2", he didn't have that shiftiness and ability to make guys miss. Collins does.

Countless times this season, he has made defenders miss with his ability to quickly stop, change direction and then start back up again. His shiftiness is something McFadden didn't have while at Arkansas. Collins has very good juke moves that can make defenders look silly. 

As Adam Alter of Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly in Arkansas put it, some things Collins does look near impossible:

McFadden does have him beat in yards per carry, averaging 6.3 his freshman year compared to Collins' 5.6. But, McFadden had a veteran line with three seniors, a junior and a sophomore. The Hogs are starting two freshman this year alongside two seniors and a junior.

If you were to put Collins behind the line McFadden had his freshman year, he would be averaging over six YPC without a doubt. McFadden also had 11 touchdowns, while Collins has just four. The main reason for the gap in that stat is that sophomore Jonathan Williams has gotten the majority of the carries near the goal line, leading the team with seven rushing touchdowns. McFadden was the guy as a freshman and got the ball most of the time when the Hogs ran it near the end zone.

So, despite a few disparities in the stats, there is logical explanations behind why it's that way.

Perhaps the most important skill Collins has that could make him better than the Arkansas legend is his ball-carrying vision. It is rare that you find a freshman back that is not only elusive and fast, but also great at waiting on his blockers to open up holes and identify them.

As simple as it may seem, being patient and waiting for blocks to be set up is one of the hardest things for backs to learn how to do. Heck, even NFL running backs have problems with it. Not Collins, though.

He's shown an instinctive ability to follow his blocks and hit the hole as soon as he finds it. Even the great McFadden had trouble following his blocks, and he still does. 

There's not much tape on Collins' college career openly available because he hasn't even ended his freshman year. Here's some highlights from what you can find of Arkansas' game against Louisiana-Lafayette. You can immediately notice Collins' vision and burst on his carries in the following highlights from that game:

Look, let's make this clear, no one is saying that Collins is going to end up breaking all of McFadden's records or garner as many accolades as he did. To put that kind of pressure and expectations on a kid just isn't realistic.

But, with everything that he is doing in his first season, you can't help but wonder if Collins might end up being even better than McFadden. Collins has already done something that he didn't do—nor any SEC back in history for that matter—by running for over 100 yards in each of his first three games to start his career.

All he needs is 84 yards in both of the Razorbacks final two games to unseat McFadden as the program's most prolific freshman rusher. It's still way too early to give a definitive answer on whether Collins' career will surpass the All-American's, but he's on pace to have the best year a freshman back has ever had at Arkansas and is a shoe-in for Freshman All-American honors.

He absolutely has the skills to be better than McFadden was in college. McFadden rarely ever had to look back over his shoulder when he was in full stride, but he might be looking back at Collins creeping up on him sooner rather than later.

All stats are from NCAA.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise stated. 

For more info on the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, follow Bryan Heater @BHeaterRivals.

Two games are all that remain on the Arkansas Razorbacks' schedule in 2013. That's probably a good thing, because it has been a very tough year for Bret Bielema in his first season as the Hogs' head coach.

Arkansas is still a long way off from where Bielema wants the program to be. With three different coaches in the last year and eight months, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the Hogs are struggling as much as they are.

When Bielema took the job, he knew it was going to be a rebuilding situation. It might be even tougher than he thought.

At this point in the year, it is obvious that Arkansas needs to improve vastly in many areas during the offseason. Bielema is going to accomplish that mainly with returning players and through recruiting. 

So far, the Razorbacks have 17 commitments in the 2014 class, including three 4-star prospects (via 247 Sports). There are some very talented players on board, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the next two months leading up to national signing day.

Here's a breakdown of the Hogs' best catches so far, as well as their needs going forward and the most important targets remaining on the board.

Key Needs

Where do the Hogs not need help?

The defensive line is losing two starters after this year. And though there are quite a few young players, Arkansas needs to add a few more guys. That is especially true at linebacker, which was inexperienced this year and will be next season, too.

You can go ahead and throw the secondary in there also.

Offensively, it's looking more and more as if the Razorbacks are going to need a quarterback, as Brandon Allen hasn't shown that he can be the guy. The O-line has a solid foundation, but it never hurts to add more depth. The running back position is set for the future. However, Arkansas needs playmakers at wideout.

Most Important Commits

Name	Stars	Position	Height	Weight
Bijhon Jackson	4	DT	6'1"	334
Rafe Peavey	4	QB	6'2"	212
Henre' Toliver	4	CB	6'1"	165

With Byran Jones graduating, there will be a defensive line spot up for grabs.

There are a few guys already on the team who will compete for that spot, but don't be surprised if El Dorado High School commit Bijhon Jackson comes in and immediately starts. 

His motor is never-ending, and he recently was chosen to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American game. He's a force on the inside and has great athleticism for a guy over 330 pounds. He's been a solid commit since the end of 2012.

Arkansas also got an early big-time pickup in quarterback Rafe Peavey in the summer of 2012. Though he doesn't possess elite arm strength, he makes up for it with his footwork, accuracy and pocket presence. He should be Allen's top challenger for the starting nod next year.

The Razorbacks need as much help as they can get in the secondary. Cornerback Henre' Toliver should be of service early in his career. He has good ball-hawking skills, and maybe more importantly in the SEC, he's a speedster. 

Arkansas might have struck gold with offensive lineman Jovan Pruitt, who has the typical size and strength you would expect in a Bielema-coached lineman. He will be another key building piece on the unit. 

Most Important Targets 

Name	Stars	Position	Height	Weight
Josh Frazier	4	DT	6'2"	324
Craig Evans	4	DT	6'3"	305
Raymond Wingo	4	CB	5'10"	174

Though Arkansas has acquired some key pieces for the future already, there is still much to be done over the next few months. 

The biggest remaining target is defensive tackle Josh Frazier, who plays right down the street from the Hogs at Springdale Har-Ber. Like Jackson, Frazier is a force in the middle and would be a huge pickup. He and Jackson would give the Hogs a nice one-two punch on the inside in the years to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AOxrh1x0oE

And speaking of a one-two punch, fellow defensive tackle Craig Evans would more than solidify the interior. Though he's committed to Wisconsin, Bielema and his staff were the ones who turned him on there in the first place and are on his tail. His recruitment is far from over. It should come down to the Hogs and Badgers.

Sticking with the defensive side, former Arkansas running back Ronnie Wingo's little brother Raymond Wingo has seen his recruitment pick up significantly. He went to the campus several times while his brother was on the Hill, and the Razorbacks appear to be in good shape with the cornerback heading into the home stretch.

On the offensive side, the biggest target is lineman Brian Wallace. He is a mammoth of a man and would fit Bielema's scheme to a T. 

If Bielema and his staff can close out strong and snag some of the remaining targets, this could turn out to be a very nice class.