Sam Pittman addresses how Arkansas will handle recruiting with recent NIL rulings

With a judge’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction in a landmark NIL case last week, the recruiting world has seen plenty of changes. Under the NCAA’s previous guidance, NIL collectives couldn’t be involved in the recruiting process at the high school level or through the transfer portal – rules challenged by the attorneys general in Tennessee and Virginia.

Following the ruling from judge Clifton L. Corker, NCAA president Charlie Baker announced a pause on all investigations into NIL-related infractions. Now, recruits can engage in conversations with collectives prior to signing, and On3’s Pete Nakos reported the “floodgates have opened” after the ruling came down.

To Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, when asked about potential “bidding wars,” he said that’s not necessarily a new idea.

“I think it’s a great question,” Pittman told reporters Wednesday. “But to be perfectly honest with you, we’ve been dealing with it for a year and a half. To be perfectly honest with you. With it being open season, I think it makes it maybe easier, to be honest with you. That’s what it is, especially nowadays. You give kids unlimited visits and they go to this one and this is what they’re gonna pay and the next one, you’re not gonna get it because you know what it’s gonna pay. So what are you gonna do? You’re gonna pay more, the next one’s gonna pay more.

“The kids are smart, too. We’ve been dealing with that for a while.”

Sam Pittman: ‘We weren’t the highest bidder’ for some current Arkansas players

As for whether he thinks there are players who still commit to school for more than just NIL money, Pittman said he does – especially if they’re from the area. He added Arkansas didn’t necessarily offer the same type of money other schools did for players on the current roster.

“I do. I really do,” Pittman said. “Our whole staff met with a guy, and in that conversation, I was talking about what we’re talking about. And Bobby had said, maybe with an Arkansas kid going to Arkansas, he wants to play for the Hogs. Now, it can’t be the discrepancy of $100,000 or $200,000, you know what I mean?

“But from what you’re speaking of, I think kids still want to play for the Hogs. Not all of them. … But maybe the kids that are local, maybe within your five-hour radius or their parents went here, maybe that would be a little bit different. And we’ve seen that. We’ve got some highly, highly recruited guys on our team right now from last year’s class that came here, and I promise you, we weren’t the highest bidder.”