FAYETTEVILLE -- For the sixth straight recruiting season, Arkanasas couldn't crack the top five of Scout.com's Southeastern Conference rankings.

While that's normally a difficult task. The challenge was far more arduous this past year as Arkansas coach Houston Nutt assembled a class ranked No. 10 in the SEC and No. 33 nationally.

"This is the greatest year I can recall one conference having," said Jamie Newburg, a national recruiting expert for Scout.com. "Five in the top seven incredible."

Led by Florida at No. 1 and LSU at No. 2, the SEC placed far higher than any other conference.

Despite the competitive atmosphere, Newburg said he expected the Razorbacks to fare better.

"You lose arguably the top (three) players in the state," Newburg said. "That's a little disappointing, because here's a team that wins the SEC West. Then again, it's not like those kids went to play for sisters of the poor."

Surely not. Rogers lineman Lee Ziemba and Fort Smith Northside quarterback Kodi Burns signed with Auburn. Pulaski Academy running back Broderick Green signed with Southern California.

Missing out on the trio didn't doom Arkansas recruiting, Newburg said.

The Razorbacks fit the needs they set out to fill with this 27-player class. And they kept the next four highest-ranked in-state recruits.

"All's not lost, even with that ranking," Newburg said.

That's a theme Nutt repeated Wednesday at a news conference and on radio appearances Wednesday.

Nutt mentioned that Arkansas' current class of juniors, a 32-member recruiting class, ranked No. 27 nationally. Those Hogs, Nutt pointed out, led Arkansas to the SEC Championship Game.

"I'd love to come in here and say, 'You know what? We got the No. 1 recruiting class in the SEC,'" Nutt said. "I'm going to tell you, somebody must be picking something wrong, right? Because we hadn't been eighth in the league."

Arkansas' recruiting coordinator, Chris Vaughn, said he didn't put too much stock into the ranking.

Plus, this year's class is loaded with offensive and defensive linemen, always a diminishing factor for rankings.

"Very rarely do they rank linemen very high," Vaughn said. "Usually, it's the skill players.

"And of course, we signed a bunch of linemen this year."

Southeastern Conference Recruiting Rankings By Scout.com

School National Rank

Florida 1

LSU 2

Tennessee 5

Auburn 6

South Carolina 7

Georgia 17

Alabama 19

Mississippi State 27

Ole Miss 30

Arkansas 33

Kentucky 58

Vanderbilt 80

Arkansas Recruiting Ranking By Scout.com

Year SEC National

2007 10 33

2006 8 30

2005 9 32

2004 6 27

2003 8 23

2002 8 24