It’s been 22 days since John Calipari was named head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and while the news was slow to start, it’s started to snowball and gain more speed with each passing day.
When Calipari was officially hired on April 10, there were zero scholarship players on Arkansas’ roster and zero coming in through the high school ranks.
“You can say rebuild, there may not be a roster,” Calipari said during his introductory press conference. “We’ve got work to do and the only thing that I want to tell you is I’m not that guy that has a magic wand. That’s not who I am. I’m the grinder that comes everyday.”
In relatively short order, Calipari has used the transfer portal and high school ranks to give fans a clearer picture of what the team will look like heading into the 2024-2025 season.
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With the news constantly coming fast, it can be hard to keep up with it all. Here’s a timeline of when the newest Razorbacks made their commitments.
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Zvonimir Ivisic — April 15
Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivisic. (Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports)
The first domino to fall for Arkansas was also its tallest. Zvonimir Ivisic — also known as Big Z — played in the back half of the 2023-2024 season for Kentucky after being declared eligible by the NCAA on Jan. 20.
After Calipari left, Ivisic entered the transfer portal and committed to the Razorbacks on April 15.
Ivisic is a Croatian native and averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 57.7% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arch and 77.3% from the charity stripe in just 15 games.
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KenPom shows Ivisic had a 63.5 effective field goal percentage, a 66.5 true shooting percentage, a 10.5 offensive rebounding percentage, a 19.1 defensive rebounding, a 11.8 block percentage and an offensive rating of 116.9.
Karter Knox — April 22
Four-star forward Karter Knox. (Overtime Elite)
Seven days isn’t all that long, but it felt like an eternity for Arkansas fans champing at the bit for more players to fill out the roster. Thankfully they didn’t have to wait longer, as four-star forward Karter Knox announced he had committed to Arkansas on April 22.
Knox was the first high school prospect to commit to Arkansas under the Calipari regime, and was previously signed to Kentucky before reopening his recruitment following Cal’s departure.
During his senior campaign with the Overtime Elite, Knox averaged 23.1 points, 2.7 assists and 5.9 rebounds in 17 regular season games and he shot 43.9% from the field, 34.0% from beyond the arch and 63.2% from the charity stripe.
Calipari’s bond to the Knox family runs deep, as he coached Kevin Knox II — Karter’s older brother — during the 2017-18 season for Kentucky. That year, Kevin played in 37 games and was one of the top freshmen in the country before he was selected ninth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
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Boogie Fland — April 25
Five-star point guard Boogie Fland. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)
The days between commitments for the Hogs grew shorter the longer Calipari was in Razorback red. Five-star guard Boogie Fland announced his decision to commit to the Razorbacks on April 25, just three days after Knox went public with his decision.
Another high school holdover for Calipari from Kentucky, Fland requested a release from his NLI and promptly took a visit to Arkansas on April 24, and sealed the deal less than 24 hours after.
As a senior for Archbishop Stepinac High School in New York, Fland averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Fland also played in both the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Nike Hoops Summit. In the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 2, he scored 17 points and added five rebounds and three assists in 22:02 minutes.
At the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Oregon, Fland scored nine points on 50% shooting (4-of-8) in 17 minutes. He also had two rebounds and one assist.
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Billy Richmond — April 26
Four-star wing Billy Richmond. (HRIS LACHALL/USA TODAY NETWORK ATLANTIC GROUP / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Four-star wing Billy Richmond was the third and likely final high school prospect to commit to Arkansas after requesting release from his NLI at Kentucky, and was on a visit to Arkansas the same time as Fland.
Richmond announced his commitment a day after Fland did, on April 26. Richmond’s decision is arguably the least surprising of the bunch, as his father, also named Billy, played for Calipari while he was the head coach at Memphis in the early 2000s.
“The reason I picked Kentucky is because (there’s) a great coaching staff, (John) Calipari, he always keep it real with me,” Richmond said in an interview with The Athletic after his commitment to Kentucky. “That’s a big reason.”
Jonas Aidoo — April 29
Tennessee transfer big Jonas Aidoo. (Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Tennessee transfer big man Jonas Aidoo was the first commitment out of the transfer portal not to come from Kentucky. He called the Hogs on Monday after taking visits to both Arkansas and Baylor in recent days.
Last season for the Volunteers, Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while making 51.5% of his shots from the field. The AP First-Team All-SEC selection also averaged 1.8 blocks and 1.0 assists per game last season.
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Aidoo is no stranger to Bud Walton Arena, as he was a part of the Tennessee team that blew out the Razorbacks last season. He went off in that game and finished with 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting and 12 rebounds, helping the Volunteers to a 92-63 win.
Johnell Davis — April 30
FAU transfer Johnell Davis (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
After taking a secret visit to Fayetteville over the weekend, the latest splash out of the transfer portal is Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis, who signed with Arkansas on Wednesday.
Davis was a part of the Florida Atlantic team that made a run to the Final Four in 2022-2023, and put himself on the national radar with four straight double-digit performances against Memphis (12 points), Fairleigh Dickinson (29 points, 12 rebounds), Tennessee (15 points) and Kansas State (13 points, eight rebounds, six assists).
During the 2023-2024 season, Davis averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season for the Owls.
With another seven scholarships remaining on the basketball team, there will certainly be more news and it likely will come fast. Stay tuned to HawgBeat for the most up-to-date coverage of Arkansas basketball.
**JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH ARKANSAS FANS ON THE TROUGH, HAWGBEAT’S PREMIUM MESSAGE BOARD**
Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.
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He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.
Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.
From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.
Arkansas got a quick reminder this week that baseball doesn’t hand out easy wins.
The Razorbacks head into the weekend after splitting a midweek set with Arkansas State, a two-game stretch that showed both the highs and lows of early season baseball.
Now, the Hogs turn the page and prepare to host UT Arlington in a three-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium.
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Arkansas enters the weekend 7-2 overall. UT Arlington comes in at 2-6. First pitch Friday is set for 3 p.m., with Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday’s game will stream on SEC Network+.
Midweek Split Shows Two Sides of Arkansas
The midweek matchup with Arkansas State didn’t go the way the Razorbacks expected at first. In Game 1, Arkansas State won 12-4. It marked the first loss to the Red Wolves in program history.
The Hogs struggled on the mound and couldn’t keep pace as Arkansas State built separation. The result was a reminder that even in-state games can turn quickly if things slip early.
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But 24 hours later, Arkansas looked like a different team.
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In Game 2, the Razorbacks leaned on dominant pitching and edged Arkansas State 1-0 in a tight contest. It was the kind of bounce-back performance coaches want to see after a tough loss.
The split left Arkansas with lessons on both sides — how quickly things can unravel and how steady pitching can win a game even when runs are hard to find.
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Home Comfort at Baum-Walker Stadium
Now the Razorbacks return to Baum-Walker Stadium looking to build momentum.
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The Hogs have been strong at home and will try to use that setting to steady the ship after the midweek ups and downs. Playing in Fayetteville gives Arkansas a familiar environment and a chance to settle into its routine.
UT Arlington, meanwhile, is coming off a rough stretch. The Mavericks lost their midweek game to Dallas Baptist 6-1 and were swept in a weekend series against Lamar after winning the opener 10-2 before dropping the next two games.
Arkansas has the edge historically, leading the all-time series 7-1. The teams haven’t met since 2006, when the Razorbacks swept a series in Honolulu. This will be the first time UT Arlington plays in Fayetteville.
Pitching Matchups to Watch
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The Hogs will roll out a strong weekend rotation.
Friday’s starter is right-hander Gabe Gaeckle (1-0, 1.93 ERA). He’ll face UT Arlington right-hander Caylon Dygert (0-0, 1.80 ERA). That matchup could set the tone for the series opener.
On Saturday, left-hander Hunter Dietz (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for Arkansas against Dylan Skolfield (0-2, 6.48 ERA) for the Mavericks.
Sunday’s game will feature left-hander Colin Fisher (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Razorbacks. UT Arlington has not yet named a starter for the series finale.
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After seeing how important pitching was in the 1-0 win over Arkansas State, Arkansas will look for more steady outings from its starters and bullpen.
Finding Consistency Early
Through nine games, the Hogs have shown flashes of strong offense and solid pitching. But the midweek split showed that consistency is still forming.
The loss to Arkansas State proved that mistakes can pile up fast. The narrow win that followed showed that disciplined pitching and defense can close out tight games.
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This weekend gives Arkansas another chance to sharpen its approach before the schedule gets tougher later in the season.
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For fans, the path to watching is simple. Friday’s game streams on SEC Network+, and radio coverage will be available in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM and AM 1590, along with other affiliates across the state.
COLLEGE STATION – A victory in the 5,000m by Nick Busienei and third place in the distance medley relay had No. 1 Arkansas leading the team score with 18 points on the first day of the SEC Indoor Championships.
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The Razorbacks produced 12 of those points in the 5,000m as Nick Busienei won the race in a meet record of 13;31.86, which ranks him No. 7 on the UA all-time list. Busienei bettered the meet record of 13:37.52 set by Razorback Patrick Kiprop in 2025.
James Sankei added two more points in placing seventh with a time of 13:44.57.
Dating back to 1992 when Arkansas competed in its first SEC Indoor meet, Busienei claimed the 21st title for the program and is the 14th Razorback to win the indoor 5,000m.
Six more points were added in the distance medley relay as Arkansas posted a time of 9:30.84 from the foursome of Owan Logorodi (2:58.46), Zyaire Nuriddin (46.51), Julian Carter (1:49.10), and Brian Masai (3:56.77).
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South Carolina won the race in 9:30.08 with Ole Miss runner-up in 9:30.34. Florida originally placed third in 9:30.37 but was disqualified for spiking the baton at the conclusion of the race.
Jelani Watkins led the Razorback crew in the 200m prelims as three Arkansas sprinters advanced to the final. Watkins produced an indoor career best of 20.42 rank second overall to a 20.38 by Florida’s Wayna McCoy. Watkins remains No. 2 on the UA all-time list as he improved his previous time of 20.43.
Dapriest Hogans followed with a 20.63 that equaled his career best and his No. 8 ranking on the UA all-time list. Tevijon Williams clocked 20.65 to reach the final where 20.71 was the cutoff time. Jamarion Stubbs ran 20.87 in his prelim heat.
Cooper Williams completed the first day of the heptathlon in sixth place with 2,862 points. He started with a 7.43 in the 60m (736), then added a 21-9.5 (6.64) long jump (729). In the shot put, a mark of 36-8.25 (11.18) picked up 557 points. Williams wrapped up day one by topping the field in the high jump with a clearance of 6-8.25 for 840 points.
Link Lindsey placed 15 in the long jump with a mark of 23-6.75 (7.18).
