The Arkansas Razorbacks sent shockwaves through the college basketball world when they hired John Calipari to be their next head coach. Calipari joins the Hawgs after 15 highly successful seasons in Lexington and replaces Eric Musselman, who left for the same job at USC. Calipari began his tenure in Fayetteville with a clean slate and was tasked with building an entirely new team after every player on last year's Arkansas basketball roster either graduated or transferred. The investment in Calipari has already paid off for Arkansas, with the Razorbacks having the No. 3 overall recruiting class and the No. 1 transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports.
Calipari was hired with the intention of Arkansas returning to the upper echelon of college basketball. The Razorbacks won the national championship in 1994, and with Calipari's Arkansas basketball recruiting prowess, it likely won't be long before the Razorbacks re-emerge as a college basketball powerhouse. If you love the Razorbacks, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HawgSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Arkansas.
The team of insiders at HawgSports.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Arkansas basketball coaching transition and roster changes. Launched in 2002, HawgSports has established itself as the top source for insider Arkansas basketball coverage. Trey Biddy, Danny West and Connor Goodson have a combined 30 years of experience covering the Razorbacks professionally. And right now, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual subscription*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at HawgSports has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Arkansas basketball roster. Head to HawgSports now to see all the insider info.
Arkansas basketball roster departures
Last year's Arkansas team returned 36.3% of its scoring from the 2022-23 roster, which is a high rate in this age of the transfer portal. But this year's Arkansas Razorbacks squad returns .0003% of its scoring, thanks to the lone holdover, Lawson Blake, scoring just one point a year ago. Thus, Calipari has a complete roster overhaul to make as the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball team will have no continuity. Double-digit scorers Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have respectively transferred to Texas and Gonzaga as part of the mass exodus from Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks' average age of 22.7 last season was the second-oldest in Division I, when weighted by minutes. The team is losing nine seniors, and even those who lowered the average age have since departed. Layden Blocker and Baye Fall, who were Class of 2023 freshmen and top-10 national prospects at their respective positions, have since committed to other programs. So while Calipari has done a nice job in adding highly-ranked incoming recruits and transfers, he still just has a seven-man squad so there's lots of work to be done. Join HawgSports to see the latest on all of Arkansas' roster changes.
Arkansas basketball news, roster
Calipari still has holes to fill, but has landed several four-star prospects according to 247Sports, in his first class at Arkansas. He flipped a trio of four-star prospects that he originally signed at Kentucky in small forward Karter Knox, brother of NBA player Kevin Knox, small forward Billy Richmond, and combo guard Boogie Fland. All three players are elite athletes that are capable of making an instant impact on both ends of the floor as freshmen.
Of the four veteran transfers in Arkansas' class, two are former Kentucky players in Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic. The Hawgs also added former Tennessee Jonas Aidoo, and former FAU guard Johnell Davis. Davis was ranked as the No. 3 overall transfer prospect this spring, and played a key role in the Owls' run to the 2023 Final Four. On Sunday, it was announced that former Kentucky guard D.J. Wagner will also follow Calipari to Arkansas. Join HawgSports to get the latest on all of Arkansas' roster additions.
How to get insider Arkansas basketball roster updates
Calipari has already been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join HawgSports to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news.
Who are the top names Arkansas basketball is pursuing under coach John Calipari, and which power-conference transfers could land in Fayetteville? Go to HawgSports to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Razorbacks, and find out. And reminder, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it's too late.
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