Arkansas basketball fans already know the family name. Now they’re getting a fresh reason to say it out loud.
Freshman wing JJ Andrews stepped into the spotlight in the Razorbacks’ first game at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, and the early signs were loud. Against the Bahamas National Team, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound newcomer scored 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting, added five rebounds and three steals, and knocked down 1-of-2 from three. He also finished at plus-38, tying Billy Richmond III for the best mark on the roster.
For a team loaded with new faces, Andrews looked right at home. He defended on the perimeter, jumped passing lanes, and turned turnovers into quick offense. In a game that featured plenty of highly touted newcomers, he was one of the players who stood out immediately.
Andrews arrives in Fayetteville with a name that carries real weight. His father, Shawn Andrews, was one of the most dominant linemen in Arkansas football history.
Under Houston Nutt, Shawn Andrews earned consensus first-team All-American honors in 2002 and then became a unanimous selection in 2003. The Philadelphia Eagles took him with the 16th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
He also made history at Arkansas as the first sophomore in program history to earn first-team All-American honors. Shawn Andrews won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy in both 2002 and 2003, was a finalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in his final season, and helped Arkansas finish first in the SEC and fifth nationally in rushing offense. Across 35 career games, he allowed only two sacks.
His place in the school’s history books is already secure. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2009 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Even after injuries shortened what might have been an even longer run of dominance, his peak in Philadelphia still earned him first-team All-Pro honors in 2006, Pro Bowl selections in 2006 and 2007, and a spot on the Eagles’ 75th Anniversary Team.
JJ Andrews has built plenty of his own résumé already. The Little Rock Christian Academy product was a five-star recruit and signed with John Calipari as part of Arkansas’ No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class.
He was a two-time Gatorade Arkansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year, a four-time All-State selection, a 2026 McDonald’s All-American, and the No. 1 player in the state. He finished high school with 2,865 points, the fifth-highest total in Arkansas high school history.
The challenge now is carving out minutes on a deep Arkansas roster. Calipari’s 2026-27 team has one of the deepest guard and wing rotations around, so Andrews will have to earn every bit of playing time once the regular season starts. But if the first exhibition is any clue, he’s ready to make that fight interesting.
In Other News...
Arkansas 2026 Quarterback Battle Just Took An Early Turn
Spring practice has already offered an early look at where Arkansas may stand at quarterback heading toward 2026, and the projections point to a familiar kind of competition taking shape. KJ Jackson appears to be the likely starter for now, with AJ Hill next in line, followed by Braeden Fuller and Cade Trotter in the mix as the Razorbacks continue sorting out the room.
The order is only a snapshot from a handful of practices, of course, and there is still plenty of time for the picture to change before anything becomes official. Arkansas will keep working through more practices before releasing a final depth chart in mid-August, which should give this battle a much clearer shape by the time fall gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Silverfield Sets First Arkansas Fall Camp With Big Change
Fall camp is almost here for Arkansas, with players reporting Aug. 4 and the first practice set for 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 5. The Razorbacks will get nine practices in before the school year begins, a window that should give the staff an early look at a roster trying to sort out its depth chart while media members are allowed to watch most workouts and hear from the coordinators.
The real intrigue, of course, sits in the position battles that can shape everything else, especially at quarterback. Arkansas also has two closed scrimmages lined up on Aug. 16 and Aug. 22, and those sessions figure to be the most revealing dates on the calendar as the Razorbacks work toward answers that will define the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Faces A Bigger Problem Than Ryan Silverfield Right Now
Ryan Silverfield arrives in Fayetteville with a proven rsum from his six seasons at Memphis, where he went 50-24 before taking over the Arkansas Razorbacks in place of Sam Pittman. The hire gives Arkansas a coach who has shown he can build and sustain a winning program, which is exactly the kind of stability the Razorbacks have been chasing after their recent struggles.
Paul Finebaum brought the focus back to a bigger issue at SEC media days, suggesting any shortfall in preparation starts higher up the chain than the new coach. That puts Silverfield in an awkward but familiar spot for a program trying to reset, because the expectations are immediate even though the bigger question is whether Arkansas leadership has built the right foundation to support him. [Read more 🡒]