Arkansas Loses Another Commit as Ari Slocum Reopens Recruitment
The Arkansas Razorbacks are seeing more movement on the recruiting front following the hiring of new head coach Ryan Silverfield. On Tuesday morning, defensive lineman Ari Slocum announced he’s reopening his recruitment, just a day after speaking with Silverfield.
Slocum, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman out of Union Parish High School in Farmerville, Louisiana, had originally committed to Arkansas back in January. At the time, he chose the Razorbacks over several other programs, including Missouri, Houston, and Purdue. But when former head coach Sam Pittman was let go in late September, Slocum briefly stepped away from his commitment before rejoining the class on October 28.
Now, with Silverfield officially taking over the program, Slocum is once again back on the market.
He becomes the third Arkansas commit to reopen his recruitment since Silverfield’s hire on Sunday. Offensive lineman Ashley Walker and fullback Ashton Dawson also decommitted on Monday after their own conversations with the new head coach.
Slocum is considered a consensus three-star prospect, and while stars don’t always tell the full story, his size and physical tools made him a key part of Arkansas’ 2026 class. At 6-4, 300, he projects as a space-eater in the middle of the defensive line - the kind of player you build a front around. Losing a player like that, especially twice in the same cycle, is never ideal.
With Slocum’s decision, Arkansas is now down to 14 verbal commitments for the 2026 class. It’s a group that will likely continue to evolve in the coming weeks as Silverfield and his staff get their footing and begin reshaping the roster to fit their vision.
This is part of the natural churn that comes with a coaching change. Recruits commit to programs, yes, but they also commit to relationships - and when those relationships change, so do the commitments. Silverfield will now have to re-recruit the current class while also putting his own stamp on the next wave of Razorbacks.
The road ahead for Arkansas’ 2026 class might be a little bumpy, but that’s to be expected. What matters now is how Silverfield and his staff respond.