Arkansas is back in familiar territory to start the 2026-27 season, landing at No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
That keeps the Razorbacks in the preseason rankings for a sixth straight year and marks the third time they’ve opened there under Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari. It’s also one spot better than last season’s No. 13 ranking.
The buzz around this group is easy to understand. Arkansas signed the consensus No. 1 overall recruiting class, and it’s fronted by four 5-star true freshmen. Reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year Jordan Smith Jr. is the headliner after coming in as the No. 2 overall signee, joined by shooting guard JJ Andrews, wing Abdou Toure and power forward Miikka Muurinen.
Calipari also added more young talent to the mix with 4-star guard Davion Thompson, 4-star center Caleb Ourigou and 4-star forward Maper Maker.
There’s veteran help, too. Shooting guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who transferred in from Georgia, and Cooper Bowser, who came over from Furman, are expected to be starters or important pieces in the rotation.
The schedule will test Arkansas right away. The Razorbacks are set to face No.
9 Virginia on Nov. 8, No.
6 Michigan State on Nov. 26 and No. 5 Arizona on Dec. 19 in a non-conference slate that won’t offer much breathing room.
The SEC portion looks just as demanding. Arkansas is projected to play at least 10 games against ranked opponents, including conference matchups with Florida, Texas, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama twice.
Elsewhere in the league, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt all checked in among the top 25. Missouri, Texas A&M and reigning NIT champion Auburn also received votes.
The preseason poll has one other wrinkle worth noting: North Carolina and Indiana are both unranked to start the year, the first time that has happened since the 1972-73 season.
Arkansas will get its first look at game action in exhibition play this Saturday, Oct. 24, against Gonzaga at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT, and the game will stream on SEC Network+.
The regular season opens Nov. 3 against Pine Bluff in Fayetteville at 7 p.m. CT, also on SEC Network+.
In Other News...
Arkansas Suddenly Has A Real Opening In The SEC Chaos
The SEC has already turned unpredictable in a hurry, and that has created a very real opening for Arkansas. After some recent improvement, the Razorbacks are suddenly in the kind of spot where even the doubters have to take a longer look at what comes next, especially with a conference slate that can change fast when rankings start shifting and favorites keep getting knocked off.
Arkansas does not need the league to be orderly to make noise, and this season has made that point clear. With chaos spreading nationally and in the SEC, the Razorbacks have a chance to turn a tougher stretch of the schedule into something bigger if they can keep building on what they have shown so far, even if plenty of people still expect the next upset to happen to someone else. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Has Three Bright Spots Fans Should Be Watching Closely
Amid a season that has put a premium on finding positives wherever they appear, three Arkansas players have started to separate themselves in ways that matter beyond the box score. Smith has emerged as the teams tackling leader and has piled up defensive stops, while Oke has given the interior of the defensive line a steadier presence. On the other side of the ball, Lockwood has grown into a dependable option in the passing game, giving the offense another target it can lean on.
What makes those individual gains even more notable is the development behind them, particularly the work being done by tight ends coach Morgan Turner. For a program still sorting through bigger-picture issues, these are the kinds of progress points that can shape how the rest of the season feels, and Arkansas fans will have reasons to keep a close eye on whether these trends hold. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Bye Week Puts One Razorbacks Question Front And Center
Arkansas has spent the last stretch of the season looking more competitive after the kind of rough start that can swallow a team whole, and now the bye week arrives with a chance to reset before Missouri comes to Fayetteville. For Ryan Silverfield, it is also a chance to keep pushing a bigger message, because the on-field progress matters not just for the standings but for everything that follows around the program.
Silverfield has been working through the realities of inherited issues and budget constraints, two pressures that tend to linger far beyond one bad month in the fall. If the Razorbacks can keep showing real improvement against a Missouri team known for its offense and notable playmakers, it could strengthen the case for more support moving forward, which is why this pause in the schedule feels bigger than a simple breather. [Read more 🡒]