Arkansas signing day live updates, latest signing news, rankings
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FAYETTEVILLE — Surprises feel like a safe bet for Arkansas football recruiting on early signing day.
Ryan Silverfield had just two full days to work on the Razorbacks 2026 class before the signing period opened on Wednesday, Dec. 3. He put an emphasis on in-state recruiting, landing four commitments from top-10 prospects inside the state of Arkansas, but the Hogs also had a slew of decommitments with another coaching staff transition underway.
Silverfield and Arkansas are trending for more, pressing for other players throughout the state and recruits who previously committed to Silverfield at Memphis. There are a wide range of options for how Silverfield’s first high school class finalizes.
Below are live updates as high school prospects sign with Arkansas, along with a look at the Razorbacks’ class rankings and potential targets.
(All recruiting rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.)
Arkansas football recruiting signees
This section will be updated throughout the day as the recruits sign with the Razorbacks.
DL Danny Beale
Hometown/School: Wynne / Cross County
Vitals: 6-4.5, 320 pounds
247Sports Composite: Four stars; national ranking: No. 160; position ranking: No. 17
The scoop: Beale is the top prospect in the state of Arkansas and the highest-ranked commit in the Razorbacks’ class. Ryan Silverfield secured Beale’s pledge earlier this week, beating out the likes of Ole Miss, Missouri and Mississippi State. Beale has 35 tackles, including three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one interception and six quarterback hurries as a senior.
LB Jakore Smith
Hometown/School: Bryant / Bryant
Vitals: 6-0, 190 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 573; position ranking: No. 49
The scoop: With 60 tackles, one tackle for loss, three interceptions, three recovered fumbles and two defensive touchdowns as a senior, Smith has helped Bryant reach the state championship game. He backed off a commitment to Oklahoma recently and became one of the first commits of the Ryan Silverfield era. Smith also had offers from Alabama, Florida State and many more Power 4 programs.
WR Blair Irvin III
Hometown/School: Bentonville / Bentonville
Vitals: 6-0, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 1,821; position ranking: No. 261
The scoop: Bentonville will play for a second consecutive state championship this weekend, and Irvin is a key piece of the Tigers’ offense with 42 receptions, 634 receiving yards, eight receiving touchdowns, two rushes for 39 yards and one rushing touchdown. He chose the Razorbacks over South Florida, Kansas State, Purdue and Minnesota.
OT Ben Mubenga
Hometown/School: Buford, Ga. / Buford
Vitals: 6-5, 290 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 1,219; position ranking: No. 101
The scoop: Mubenga decommitted from Arkansas after Sam Pittman’s firing, but he jumped back on board the Hogs’ 2026 class in late November. He started his high school career as a defensive end before moving to offensive line as a sophomore. He’s helped lead Buford to an undefeated 13-0 record while blocking for an offense that is averaging 356.4 yards a game and 47.8 points per game. Originally from Congo, Mubenga came to the United States from Congo in 2017 and did not play football until his freshman year of high school.
OT Tucker Young
Hometown/School: Hot Springs / Lakeside
Vitals: 6-4, 300 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 1,219; position ranking: No. 101
The scoop: Young was named a finalist for the 2025 Willie Roaf Award, presented to the top high school offensive lineman in the state of Arkansas. He helped pave the way for 5,432 yards of total offense, including an average of 417.9 yards per game in 2025. He committed to Arkansas over Memphis in June, 2024, and never wavered in his commitment.
EDGE Colton Yarbrough
Hometown/School: Durant, Okla. / Durant
Vitals: 6-5, 242 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 573; position ranking: No. 59
The scoop: Yarbrough chose the Hogs over Oklahoma State, Georgia, LSU and Colorado. He is an athletic lineman who played both ways in high school and brings tremendous upside to Arkansas. He tallied 45 total tackles, four quarterback hurries and five tackles for loss as a senior in 2025. He also ran track and posted 100-meter times of 11.81 and 11.92, while long jumping 19-7 as a freshman in 2023.
P Connor Smith
Hometown/School: Clintwood, Va. / Ridgeview
Vitals: 6-3, 180 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: N/A; position ranking: N/A
The scoop: Smith is a five-star prospect and rated as the No. 9 punter in the 2026 class, according to Kohl’s Kicking. Helped Ridgeview to an 11-2 record as a senior in 2025 and will have an opportunity to earn immediate playing time at Arkansas with the graduation of Devin Bale.
CB Jalon Copeland
Hometown/School: Valdosta, Ga. / Valdosta
Vitals: 6-1, 185 pounds
247Sports Composite: Three stars; national ranking: No. 900; position ranking: No. 72
The scoop: Copeland had a quiet recruitment. He committed to Arkansas in March and never wavered throughout the coaching change. He chose the Razorbacks over Penn State, UCF, Louisville and Georgia Tech. Copeland has 20 tackles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery with Valdosta High School playing in the state semifinals later this week.
Arkansas football recruiting rankings
Arkansas comes into the day with the 69th-ranked class in the country. It is last in the SEC.
The Hogs were into the 50s on Monday, Dec. 1, after Silverfield landed a trio of prospects. However, three-star prospects Ari Slocum (DL), Ashley Walker (OL), Keivay Foster (S) and Ashton Dawson (DL) all opened their recruitments, which dropped Arkansas in the rankings.
Arkansas football targets
Here are three names to know for early signing day, even though Silverfield is likely pursuing many other prospects as Arkansas only has 13 commitments.
The first is Jude Hall, a three-star wide receiver from South Carolina decommitted from Memphis on Monday. He quickly picked up an Arkansas offer and will decide between the Tigers and Razorbacks. He is the 127th-highest ranked wide receiver in the country.
The second is Jordan Harris, who is a three-star edge from Maumelle High School inside the state. Harris will decide between Appalachian State and Arkansas.
Finally, there’s quarterback Cole Bergeron out of Louisiana. He decommitted from Virginia Tech earlier this week, and Rivals reported that Arkansas is pushing for the three-star’s signature.
Arkansas football recruiting class top commits
The top-ranked commit is defensive lineman Danny Beale from Cross County, who committed to the Razorbacks on Monday.
Beale is the top player in the state of Arkansas, the No. 17 defensive lineman in the country and the 160th-ranked player overall. Committed to Oklahoma State over the summer, the four-star backed off that pledge following the Cowboys’ firing of Mike Gundy. He also had scholarship offers from SEC rivals like Missouri, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Georgia.
The second-highest ranked commit is another pledge from earlier this week. Bryant running back Terry Hodges flipped from Missouri to Arkansas. The four-star prospect is ranked No. 3 in the state, No. 354 nationally and No. 26 among all running backs.
When is early signing day?
Division I football recruits have 72 hours in early December to sign with their preferred teams before National Signing Day. For the 2026 recruiting class, that begins on Wednesday, Dec. 3 and ends on Friday, Dec. 6. It has become the de facto National Signing Day in college football.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football signing day live updates, latest recruiting news
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