After the big blow-up from his high school coach about Ryan Silverfield's methods, Fayetteville High's Hank Hendrix did indeed reclassify to 2026 and commit to Arkansas. Let's see where this story goes.
Boom. That was the sound you heard on Tuesday when Hank Hendrix, the four-star quarterback from Fayetteville High School, reclassified to the Class of 2026 and will enroll at Arkansas to join Ryan Silverfield's program this year.
"Hendrix, 6-3, 165, was a four-star prospect and the No. 117 player in the country according to the early 2027 rankings by 247Sports, which also considers him the ninth-best quarterback in the land and the top-ranked player in Arkansas, but he has now reclassified to the 2026 class and will be officially joining the Hogs in May.
"Hendrix is the son of UA staffer Che Hendrix, who appears to be sticking around with the new staff in some capacity. The quarterback chose the nearby Hogs over offers from Auburn, Baylor, Michigan, Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas Tech, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and others.
"As a junior, Hendrix threw for 3,602 yards and 32 touchdowns against six interceptions while completing over 63% of his passes. With Hendrix now on Arkansas' 2026 list, Ryan Silverfield's first class reaches 20 total additions since the start of the early signing period. Hendrix will serve as the quarterback for the 2026 crop as the Razorbacks didn't sign one at the position, bringing the total scholarship count to four at quarterback."
Hendrix's high school coach, Casey Dick, was very upset with Ryan Silverfield for courting the quarterback without his direct knowledge. We covered that story, quoting the incendiary tweet Dick sent before deleting it and walking it back shortly thereafter.
“Disappointed in my university’s approach to the recruiting process of a high school athlete,” Dick wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “Situations like this are not good for high school athletics or the sport of football. Moving forward, [Arkansas football] and [Ryan Silverfield] will not be welcome in our facilities.”
With this soap opera now over, Arkansas has a high-upside quarterback to mold and develop. Keeping a prized in-state prospect home is a big part of how the UA program will establish a foothold within the state and not let elite local players leave for other schools. It's one crucial pillar of building back the Razorbacks to a top-tier level. It's not the only ingredient, and it isn't necessarily number one (though many people will reasonably say it is), but it's unquestionably vital as one part of a larger strategy and progression in developing a big-boy program which carries itself the way it should ... and the way fans expect it to operate.