Eighth recruit signs with Arkansas to end first early signing period

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday’s finish to the 3-day December early signing period signed defensive end Nick Fulwider as their eighth signee of a recruiting class to be completed during the traditional signing period, which begins Feb. 7.

Fulwider, 6-7, 230 of Tyrone, Ga., and a 3-star rated prospect by the recruiting website 247 Sports, had verbally committed to the the University of North Carolina but after visiting with new Arkansas Coach Chad Morris decommitted from the Tar Heels Tuesday night and signed Friday with Arkansas.

On Wednesday, Morris announced the signings of seven prospects. The first seven signees were four-star rated recruits Connor Noland, quarterback, 6-3, 205, of Greenwood; Bumper Pool, inside linebacker, 6-2, 213, of Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas; and Ladarrius Bishop, defensive back, 6- 0, 189, of Ashdown, as well as 3-star rated Billy Ferrell, defensive linemen, 6-3, 331, of Fordyce; Isaiah Nichols, defensive lineman, 6- 4, 275, of Springdale; Silas Robinson, offensive lineman, 6- 4, 275 Yoakum, Texas; and Michael Woods, receiver, 6-2, 180, of Magnolia, Texas.

Woods and Nichols graduated this month from high school and are anticipated to enroll at Arkansas in January and participate in the Razorbacks’ winter offseason program, plus spring practice.

The other five presumably will report this summer for Arkansas summer school classes and the summer conditioning program.

Morris and his currently makeshift staff have managed to sign five defensive players though he has not yet hired a defensive coordinator or a defensive assistant.

Barry Lunney, Jr., Bobby Allen, Joe Craddock, Dustin Fry, Justin Stepp, Jeff Traylor, Mark Smith and Randy Ross have been assisting Morris following his Dec. 6 hiring at Arkansas. Lunney was the tight ends coach under previous Arkansas coach Bret Bielema and Allen was an Arkansas defensive coach from 1998-2012 before taking over as Arkansas’ director of high school relations in 2013.

Craddock, Fry, Stepp and Traylor worked on Morris’ offensive staffs at SMU from 2015-17. Smith was Morris’ recruiting coordinator at SMU and Ross was Morris’ SMU director of football operations.

Morris is reported to have discussed the defensive coordinator position with John Chavis, a longtime SEC defensive coordinator at Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M still under contract at A&M which also has undergone a head coaching change, and is believed for a position coach to have interviewed John Scott, Arkansas’ defensive line coach in 2017.