Arkansas has spent the last two seasons under John Calipari collecting talent at a clip most programs can only dream about. The Razorbacks have gone to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen runs, won 28 games last season and grabbed the SEC Tournament championship, but the roster that produced that run has been nearly wiped clean.
That turnover started with the NBA Draft. Darius Acuff Jr. is gone after his strong play, and Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas were also selected in June. Billy Richmond is back for his junior year, but the rest of the returning core is thin as Arkansas heads into a season built around a very different mix of players.
Calipari, of course, has not stopped doing what he has done for years. Arkansas signed the nation’s top recruiting class, one that includes four Top 20 prospects and a pair of 5-star guards in Jordan Smith Jr. and Abdou Toure.
JJ Andrews, Miikka Muurinen and the rest of that freshman group give the Razorbacks plenty of upside. The staff also dipped into the transfer market, adding former Furman forward Cooper Bowser.
Still, the transfer that may matter most in Fayetteville is Jeremiah Wilkinson. The 6-1 combo guard from Powder Springs, Georgia arrives with real production behind him. He was ACC Sixth Man of the Year at California as a freshman, then followed that up with a strong season at Georgia, where he averaged 17.4 points per game and hit 36% of his 3-pointers on an NCAA Tournament team.
Arkansas does not have much experience on its roster, but Wilkinson gives it something close to a stabilizer in the backcourt. He likely starts at the 2 and brings scoring, playmaking and a season of high-level SEC production into a group that will lean heavily on young talent. In a lineup full of new faces, that matters.
There will be growing pains for the Razorbacks as the season unfolds. That part feels unavoidable with so many freshmen and so many moving pieces.
But Wilkinson is one of the few veterans in the room, and that should make him a natural leader. He may not be Arkansas’s top scorer, but if he plays at the level he showed at Georgia, the Razorbacks could be back in the Sweet Sixteen again.
In Other News...
Arkansas Just Added A Transfer DB With Plenty Riding On Him
Arkansas has added another experienced piece to its secondary in Liberty transfer defensive back Brylan Green, a player who arrives with plenty of college mileage and a resume that includes three years in the starting lineup. Green also earned All-American honors in 2023, giving the Razorbacks a veteran option at a spot where depth and stability matter as roster decisions continue to settle.
His path to Fayetteville came with an unusual wrinkle, as he became eligible for a fifth season of college football through a temporary restraining order. For Arkansas, the timing is notable because the secondary has been navigating other eligibility rulings involving transfers Caleb Wooden and Sean Williams, leaving Greens arrival as both a boost and part of a larger waiting game. [Read more 🡒]
Hudson Clark Just Landed Another Chance To Make An NFL Roster
Hudson Clark is getting another NFL look, and this one comes with a real chance to stick. The former Arkansas defensive back was signed by the Arizona Cardinals after a workout with the team, adding another stop to a journey that has already taken him from undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders to a season with the Birmingham Stallions in the United Football League.
Clark has spent the offseason making the rounds with several NFL teams, and the Cardinals gave him the latest opportunity to show he belongs. Now he has a short window to compete for a roster spot before the leagues cut deadline, a familiar but meaningful stretch for a player still trying to turn repeated interest into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Still Has One Big Week 1 Battle Fans Need To Watch
With the opener getting closer, Arkansas still sounds like a roster that is being sorted out in real time. Coach Ryan Silverfield said he has not finalized a true depth chart yet, and he made it clear that Week 1 spots will be earned rather than handed out if players are not ready for the stage.
Wide receivers Marshall and Brown appear to be among the safer bets to start, while defensive backs Khmori House and Carter Stoutmire have drawn attention for interceptions in scrimmages. Transfer Steven Soles is also in the mix for a starting job, which leaves one of the bigger questions of the week centered on how much of this lineup is settled before the first snap. [Read more 🡒]