FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas football team added two high school players over the weekend, giving Sam Pittman eight players set to enroll in the Class of 2025.
Quentin Murphy, a product of Parkview Magnet High School in Little Rock, and Blake Cherry, a product of Oklahoma, announced their intentions to play for the Razorbacks on their respective social media accounts on Saturday. Murphy is the second in-state prospect to commit to the Hogs in this recruiting cycle.
Here's a closer look at the Arkansas freshmen and the 2025 freshman class as a whole.
Quentin Murphy, ATH
Murphy is the No. 448 player in the country and the No. 4 player in the state of Arkansas, according to the 247Sports Composite. He previously committed to Ole Miss and holds offers from schools around the country, including Alabama and Georgia.
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Murphy plays quarterback at Parkview Magnet but will likely transition into a skill player at the college level. As a junior in 2023, he threw for 892 yards and ran for 697 yards and 19 total touchdowns.
He has incredible speed and can be tough to catch with his long legs in the defensive secondary. At 6'1″ and 205 pounds, he has plenty of strength for his size, but he'll need to get stronger to thrive as a wide receiver in the SEC.
Murphy could continue to gain momentum for the rest of the recruiting cycle, as Parkview Magnet teammates safety Omarion Robinson and running back Cameron Settles also hold scholarship offers from Arkansas.
Blake Cherry, OT
Cherry is ranked No. 840 in the country as a player and No. 60 among offensive tackles, according to the 247Sports Composite. Both he and Murphy are unanimously recognized as three-star recruits.
Cherry is 6-foot-5 and weighs 295 pounds, so he still has room to grow. Big 12 schools such as Kansas State and Oklahoma State recruited Cherry before he signed with Sam Pittman.
He played tackle in high school and there's a good chance he'll remain there at the collegiate level, but Cherry could also move inside as a guard, providing offensive line coach Eric Mateos with positional versatility. He's a tenacious run blocker and plays mean.
Arkansas Football Class of 2025
The addition of Murphy and Cherry will give the Hogs' 2025 class the No. 40 ranking in the country.
Quarterback Grayson Wilson (Arkansas) and wide receiver Kamar'e Williams (Florida) are the talents in this class, but Arkansas needs to find top-tier talent over the next six months.
The Razorbacks don't have any four-star recruits and only one player ranked in the top 30 nationally at each position. They've struggled in the Natural State this year, with former Arkansas offensive lineman Karius Kahn being the only prospect ranked in the top 200 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Kahn and Robinson are priority targets.