Arkansas lands a commitment from in-state On300 DL Charleston Collins

Sam Pittman is putting Arkansas first, and the latest commitment for the Razorbacks justifies exactly that for the Head Hog.

On Friday, Arkansas landed a commitment from On300 defensive lineman Charleston Collins, the No. 11-ranked DL in the nation from right in the Hogs’ backyard in Pine Bluff (Ark.) Wilbur D. Mills High School. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Collins chose to stay home and play for the Razorbacks over the likes of LSU, Texas, Auburn and Ole Miss, among others.

The Razorbacks have been trending for Arkansas’ top-rated recruit ever since Pittman tabbed Travis Williams to coordinate the defense. Now, Pittman and Williams hold a commitment from the No. 124-ranked player in the country at spring’s end.

“I had a lot of options on the table and I was fortunate enough to see what a lot of different schools had t offer, but there’s nothing like your home state,” Collins told On3.

“Not just the university was pushing for me, but the people and the community,” he continued. “It’s a different type of feeling when you know and you see you have the whole state behind you. I’m gonna be the face and the voice of my state, and that’s something I always wanted.”

Head Hog made Collins a top priority

Being the state’s top recruit mandated the attention of Pittman, who not only recruited Collins but also members of his family along the way.

The Head Hog made his presence felt the most with his actions, which were validated by the players in the program and just about everywhere else Collins looked.

“Since Day 1 there’s been a constant line of communication with me and Coach Pittman,” Collins detailed. “He’s shown me I’m a top priority. He prioritized not only me but my family also. He wouldn’t just call to check on me; he would call my mom every now and then. He has my sister’s number, so he would. text her — small things like that to show me he’s not just looking at me as a player in his program, but as a son or a man.”

“He’s a great guy, fun to be around and he has a few jokes up his sleeve, too,” he continued. “His favorite thing to do is wink, and it’s absolutely hilarious every time he does it. You won’t find many people around here that have bad things to say about Coach Pittman. The players in the program I talked to had nothing bad to say. He’s an honest guy from beginning to end, and he’s someone I feel I can trust and play for. He has a track record of being an upstanding guy — what better place is there to be?”

Williams sparked Collins’ interest in the Hogs

Collins made three trips up to Fayetteville this spring, including a pair of visits up to the Hill in January after the new Razorbacks’ coaching staff was assembled.

New defensive coordinator Travis Williams was quick to make the blue-chip defensive lineman a top in-state priority for Arkansas.

“Coach Williams is an amazing guy,” Collins said. “I wasn’t learning toward Arkansas at first, but when he came in and the vibe he had, on his first day at Arkansas I remember him calling me on my way into school. He put me in a group chat and let me know I was a priority for him on his defense.”

“Anytime I’d go up, we’d sit down and talk football, break it down and he would let me know how I fit into his scheme, his defense and play style,” he continued. “Lot of coaches hype you up, but he took my film and broke it down. He showed me my strengths, what I do best, and my downfalls. He valued. me so much to go through my film and look for good things and find my mistakes, and he showed me how he’d develop me as a player and eliminate those small mistakes.”