That’s great to read. Pelphrey is the man.

Pelphrey is doing his best to pick up where Nutt left off in lolful photography.

And I love him for it.

Okay, love fest over. Time to move on. Now, I have to admit, I have no idea what Pelphrey has for talent next year. We need some detailed examination.

Wally this morning recited who is on the team now, but since beyond Beverley (the Disappearing Man), Welsh, Washington and Britt, no one got any minutes, there looks to be some serious holes. Do we have anyone who can play the front court in the SEC? Is Courtney Fortson the real deal? Is Rotnei Clarke a player or just another slow, undersized white guy who can light up a lower classification in high school? Do any of the incoming class have the strength to bang on the inside? And does Pelphrey have any more scholarships to offer?

Inquiring minds want to know.

J Hawg,

I was grooving on some serious love vibes until you spoiled my buzz.

Seriously, though, you raise some good points. These recruiting classes are such a crapshoot. If these guys are legit, then the Hogs could be in great shape next year, even with their youth. If not …

See, Stephen, North Carolina’s class will not be a crapshoot. Kansas’ class will not be a crapshoot. UCLA’s class will not be a crapshoot. Duke’s class will . . . okay, they could stink. But we really need a serious recruiting upgrade to ever hope to compete with the top tier again.

To maybe make your crapshoot point, let’s look at Florida. Now there was a bona fide, McDonald’s All-Everything, Quarter-pounders, Big Macs, microwaved apple pies, and super-sized fries sort of class coming in to replace the Back-to-Back Seniors. And they went NIT.

So while great recruiting rankings aren’t everything, certainly no assurance of success; it’s doubtful we do much good without a couple of Big Macs. Or at least some under the radar players who can really play.

This is where Pelphrey has to start earning it.

I have a different perspective on recruiting for the Razorbacks. It is not realistic for the U of A to expect to compete in that regard with the North Carolinas and UCLAs or even the Dukes. We are not going to get a class full of McDonalds All-Americans. It will be a rare year when we get even one.

I think Pelphrey has to follow the same pattern as Nolan Richardson did for the 1994 national champions. Richardson did not have to win a single tough recruiting battle for any of those players. (In fact, he lost the fight for Penny Hardaway, and we won the national championship without him.) Williamson was always going to Arkansas, Thurmond was not recruited by another major college, his hometown university of Tulsa was the only other school after McDaniel and no one wanted either Beck or Stewart. Californian Darnell Robinson was the only player from any significant distance and he had a grandmother in Arkansas.

IMHO, Pelphrey will be successful if he does two things:

1. Always get the top player or players from in state. For me, the death knell for supposed master recruiter Stan Heath was when James Anderson of Junction City, the best high school player in Arkansas since Ronnie Brewer, announced he was going to Oklahoma State. Think how different the conversation about both this year and next would be if we had him in our lineup. The Hogs cannot win with only in-state players, but for the program to be successful it has to the No. 1 choice of Arkansas high school players.

2. Like Richardson, recruit the players in this region who will thrive in his system. Beck and McDaniel were perfect for what Richardson wanted to do. If Pelphrey has as clear an idea of the system he wants to run and can recognize those with the ability to perform in that system, it won’t matter how the classes will rank, Arkansas will do just fine.

Great comments, Whit.

Nolan also lost a heated recruiting battle for Othella Harrington in the early 1990s as well.

You’re right: Nolan’s true skill as a recruiter was not in stocking his classes with A listers, but in finding those neglected players that could thrive in his system.