Arkansas

Arkansas 2024-25 roster: D.J. Wagner is latest former Kentucky player to follow John Calipari to Razorbacks

Published

6 months ago

May 27, 2024

Arkansas 2024-25 roster: D.J. Wagner is latest former Kentucky player to follow John Calipari to Razorbacks

New Arkansas coach John Calipari landed Kentucky transfer D.J. Wagner from the transfer portal Sunday. Wagner is the sixth Kentucky player or committed player to follow Calipari to Arkansas this offseason.

The Wagner family has deep ties to Calipari as D.J.’s father, Dajuan Wagner, played for Calipari when he was the coach at Memphis.

Calipari has landed serval high-profile commitments this offseason, including former Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis and Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo. Davis, who ranks as the No. 1 player in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, was the 2023-24 AAC co-Player of the Year. Aidoo is one the best 2024 transfers in college basketball and was one of the best defensive players in the country at his position.

Last month, Arkansas landed a commitment from four-star wing Billy Richmond, who previously signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Calipari at Kentucky.

Richmond is the third member of Kentucky’s star-studded 2024 recruiting class to follow Calipari to Arkansas. Four-star forward Karter Knox was the first to flip his commitment to Arkansas to play for Calipari. The Knox family has ties to Calipari, as his older brother, Kevin Knox ll, played for him at Kentucky during the 2017-18 season.

Calipari’s second high school commitment of the offseason came from another former player from his recruiting class at Kentucky. Calipari landed four-star guard Boogie Fland shortly on Thursday. The first commitment of the Calipari era at Arkansas was another familiar face in Zvonimir Ivišić, who played at Kentucky last season.

There is still plenty of work for Calipari and his staff to do to form a complete roster ahead of the season that starts in less than seven months, but after making the biggest splash of the offseason earlier this month to replace former coach Eric Musselman with one of the prominent figures in the sport, the Razorbacks are off to a strong start.

CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Arkansas roster and recruiting class in real time. Here’s where every current Arkansas player and commitment currently stand.

Zvonimir Ivišić abd John Calipari will reunite in Fayetteville.
USATSI

Arkansas newcomers

Zvonimir Ivišić (Transfer from Kentucky)

GP: 15 | GS: 0 | PPG: 5.5 | RPG: 3.3

While Ivišić didn’t play a ton during his freshman season, he made an impact when he played. Hours after he was ruled eligible by the NCAA on Jan. 20, Ivišić recorded 13 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists in his collegiate debut. Days after Ivišić entered the transfer portal, he announced he would follow Calipari and had committed to Arkansas. He should see a larger role in Year 2.

Jonas Aidoo (Transfer from Tennessee)

GP: 36 | GS: 36 | PPG: 11.4 | RPG: 7.3

Aidoo is one of the more underrated players in the country because he can play the four or the five and defend both positions at a high level. Aidoo was one of the top-shot blockers in the SEC last season (1.8 bpg.) Aidoo should be in line to be a Day 1 starter for Calipari after he started all 36 games this past season for the Volunteers.

Johnell Davis (Transfer from FAU)

GP: 34 | GS: 34 | PPG: 18.2 | RPG: 6.3

Davis was one of the best mid-major players in the country last season. After spending four seasons at FAU, Davis entered the transfer portal and simultaneously declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. Davis will go through the draft process this month before making a final decision. If he does indeed return to college, it would be a massive boost for the Razorbacks.

Adou Thiero (Transfer from Arkansas)

GP: 25 | GS: 19 | PPG: 7.2 | RPG: 5

Thiero entered his name into the transfer portal last month and was the No. 77 player available in David Cobb’s transfer portal rankings. Thiero saw a larger role during his second season in Lexington, making 19 starts and 25 appearances while averaging career-highs in almost every statistical category.

D.J. Wagner (Transfer from Kentucky)

GP: 29 | GS: 28 | PPG: 9.9 | RPG: 1.9

As CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported, Wagner opted for a reunion with his old coach after taking visits to Arkansas and USC. Norlander also reported that Wagner “flirted with the idea of playing at Oregon and Florida.” Wagner was one of the top recruits in the country from the 2023 cycle and will spend his sophomore season in Fayetteville.

Arkansas players not expected to return

Tramon Mark (Committed to Texas)

GP: 31 | GS: 28 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 4.3

Mark will be at his third school in three years after transferring into the program from Houston last offseason. The 6-foot-6 guard is coming off the best season of his career and posted a career-high in points. Mark committed to Texas to continue his college career.

Khalif Battle (In transfer portal)

GP: 32 | GS: 13 | PPG: 14.8 | RPG: 3.3

Battle started his career at Butler during the 2019-20 campaign before transferring to Temple. Battle spent three seasons with Temple before spending his only season with the Razorbacks. Battle’s next and final stop of his college career will be his fourth school. He entered the transfer portal earlier this month.

Makhi Mitchell (Out of eligibility)

GP: 33 | GS: 5 | PPG: 8.6 | RPG: 4.6

Mitchell averaged 8.6 points and started five games for Arkansas this past season. Before his arrival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he had stops at Maryland and Rhode Island.

Trevon Brazile (Declared for NBA Draft/entered transfer portal)

GP: 26 | GS: 23 | PPG: 8.6 | RPG: 5.9

Brazile declared for the 2024 NBA Draft after averaging 8.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. Brazile started his career at Missouri before transferring to Arkansas ahead of the 2022-23 season. Brazlie entered the transfer portal hours before the deadline.

Keyon Menifield Jr. (In transfer portal)

GP: 14 | GS: 4 | PPG: 7.9 | RPG: 2.1

Menifield started 21 games during his freshman season at Washington before transferring to Arkansas. He started four games and appeared in 14 total games. He will be looking for his third school in three years.

Jalen Graham (Out of eligibility)

GP: 21 | GS: 5 | PPG: 7.6 | RPG: 3.0

After spending the first three years of his career at Arizona State, Graham transferred to Arkansas. He averaged 7.6 points in his final college season.

El Ellis (Out of eligibility)

GP: 31 | GS: 22 | PPG: 6.5 | RPG: 2.0

The former Louisville guard averaged 17.7 points and 4.4 assists during the 2022-23 campaign. He started 22 games in his final college season at Arkansas and averaged a career-low 6.5 points per game.

Davonte Davis (In transfer portal)

GP: 30 | GS: 23 | PPG: 5.9 | RPG: 3.4

The former three-star prospect committed to Arkansas in the 2020 recruiting cycle and spent the last four seasons with the program. The highlight of his Arkansas career was a 25-point outburst in a win over Kansas in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Jeremiah Davenport (Out of eligibility)

GP: 31 | GS: 8 | PPG: 5.0 | RPG: 1.8

Davenport spent the first four seasons of his college career at Cincinnati before transferring to Arkansas last offseason. He appeared in 31 games and averaged 5.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists.

Layden Blocker (In transfer portal)

GP: 27 | GS: 5 | PPG: 3.7 | RPG: 1.6

The former four-star prospect from the 2023 recruiting cycle averaged 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists during his freshman season in Fayetteville. Blocker entered the transfer portal last month.

Chandler Lawson (Out of eligibility)

GP: 33 | GS: 27 | PPG: 3.7 | RPG: 3.1

Lawson was a four-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting cycle and had stops at Oregon and Memphis before spending his final college season with Arkansas. Lawson started 27 games and made 33 total appearances.

Joseph Pinion (In transfer portal)

GP: 19 | GS: 1 | PPG: 2.4 | RPG: 0.6

Pinion entered the transfer portal after appearing in 19 games this past season with Arkansas. He made 26 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.

Baye Fall (In transfer portal)

GP: 9 | GS: 0 | PPG: 0.8 | RPG: 1.3

Fall entered the transfer portal after making nine appearances this past season. Fall was the No. 29 overall player in the 2023 recruiting cycle by 247Sports.

Denijay Harris (In transfer portal)

GP: 11 | GS: 1 | PPG: 0.6 | RPG: 0.8

Harris entered the transfer portal after appearing in 11 games this past season. He spent the three years before that at Southern Miss.

Arkansas recruits no longer committed

No. 45 Isaiah Elohim (Committed to USC)

The former Arkansas signee requested a release from his National Letter of Intent shortly after Musselman took the job at USC. Elohim committed to USC on Monday.

No. 72 Jalen Shelley

Like Elohim, Shelley de-committed from Arkansas shortly after the coaching change. Shelley committed to the Razorbacks out of high school over Louisville, Alabama, Creighton, Houston, and more. He is expected to have plenty of suitors for his services because he is one of the top uncommitted players on the board.

Arkansas’ incoming recruiting class

Kentucky finished with a top-five recruiting class every cycle since 247Sports started tracking team rankings in 2010 under Calipari. The Wildcats landed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2023 under his watch. But in an era when age and experience rule the day in college basketball, relying so heavily on one-and-done prospects began to hurt Kentucky in recent seasons. Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting star-studded class ranked only behind Duke in the team rankings. Most of Calipari’s previous commits at Kentucky are expected to at least give Arkansas a look before deciding where they will play next season.

Here is a look at Arkansas’ roster and incoming recruiting class with 247Sports rankings.

No. 20 Karter Knox (Previously committed to Kentucky)

Knox committed to Kentucky on March 9 over Louisville, USF, and a return to Overtime Elite. He was the highest-ranked high school player on the board available after former Indiana signee Liam McNeeley requested a release from his NLI. Knox’s brother, Kobe, is a current player at USF. Former Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne, now on Calipari’s staff at Arkansas, helped recruit Kevin to Kentucky and attempted to recruit Karter to Louisville before his firing.

No. 22 Billy Richmond (Previously committed to Kentucky)

Richmond committed to Kentucky on Dec. 21 over Alabama, LSU, and Memphis but decommitted on April 16. The Richmond family has deep ties to Calipari. Richmond’s father, who is also named Billy Richmond, played for Calipari at Memphis from 2002 to 2004. Richmond is considered an athletic lefty wing with the chance to make an immediate impact when he steps onto campus this fall at Arkansas.

No. 26 Boogie Fland (Previously committed to Kentucky)

The McDonald’s All-American is one of the best combo guards in the country and ranked only behind Rutgers signee Dylan Harper for the top player at the position. Fland originally committed to Kentucky over Alabama, UConn, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, and St. John’s. Fland followed Calipari to Arkansas and will play for the Razorbacks this season.

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Arkansas

Johnell Davis, Karter Knox find their grooves in Arkansas basketball’s rout over UMES

Published

3 hours ago

November 26, 2024

Press Room

Johnell Davis, Karter Knox find their grooves in Arkansas basketball’s rout over UMES

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball has been waiting throughout the first few weeks of the regular season for breakout performances from Johnell Davis and Karter Knox

Both players came to life for the Razorbacks (5-1) on Monday night, unleashing an offensive onslaught in a 109-35 romp over Maryland Eastern Shore. The 74-point win tied for the third-largest margin of victory in school history.

The usual suspects — Boogie Fland, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivišić — all shined, but it was the emergence of Davis and Knox that powered the best offensive performance of the season. Knox led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, while Davis chipped in 16 to post his highest scoring output since joining the Hogs this offseason.

“If everybody is good, no one has to be great,” Arkansas assistant coach Chin Coleman said after the win.

“So we have a team that we feel like if everybody is good, we don’t have to have someone go in the phone booth, put on the cape and be Superman. We’ve got a good collective of guys that if everybody is good, no one player has to be great, so we need (Davis and Knox) to be good.”

Knox was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, viewed as an elite scorer who could get to the basket in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, his jumper has been cold to start his collegiate career, and he entered Monday night 1 of 15 on 3-pointers.

But against UMES, Knox went 3 of 8 from long range. He made a pair of corner 3s and found time to paint the basket for easy points. After one 3-pointer, he exchanged words with the Arkansas bench, a sign of relief after failing to score more than six points through the first five games.

“It felt good to get going. I’ve been putting the work in the gym,” Knox said. “Teammates kept believing in me. They knew it was going to fall, tonight was the night.”

Davis’ early-season struggles have been puzzling. He averaged 18.2 points on 48% shooting last year at Florida Atlantic, but he hadn’t scored more than eight points since the Hogs’ season-opener. Coleman admitted during a recent press conference that Davis is adjusting to being surrounded by other top options, instead of being a clear-cut leader of the offense.

With Arkansas, Davis has been more of a stretch-the-floor shooter through the first three weeks. It makes sense, given that Davis shot 41.4% from 3 last season with the Owls, and he finally got hot Monday night by going 4 of 7 against the Hawks.

“We saw him the other day make 40 in-a-row. It was just a matter of time,” Coleman said. “The only thing in between him and making shots is air and opportunity. So he had an opportunity tonight, and he made them.”

The next question is how repeatable were these performances. Maryland Eastern Shore represents arguably the worst opponent on Arkansas’ schedule. Things are about to get much tougher, beginning with a Thanksgiving showdown against Illinois.

In their last matchup against a Power Four school, Davis and Knox combined for eight points on 2 of 12 shooting against Baylor. They could hold the keys to a first signature victory in the John Calipari era this Thursday.

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Arkansas

New statewide group promotes, aids prescribed burns | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

11 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

New statewide group promotes, aids prescribed burns | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The newly formed Arkansas Prescribed Burn Association held its first meeting in mid-October.

The association works as an umbrella organization, recruiting and maintaining new groups of landowners to conduct prescribed burns throughout the state.

“Properly planned prescribed burns reduce the fuel load, which can lessen or even eliminate wildfires,” said Thomas Baldridge, one of the association’s three directors. “But that’s only part of the benefit of prescribed fire. It’s the best tool available to land managers to increase wildlife habitat for turkeys, quail, deer and all sorts of other species.”

North American bird populations have declined by more than 2.9 billion birds in the last 50 years and the loss of grassland habitat is one of the largest contributors to that loss, according to a recent study conducted by Kenneth Rosenberg and highlighted by the National Audubon Society. Fire helps open up dense underbrush to promote seed-producing grasses and plants that are beneficial to grassland species on a year-round basis.

Instead of manipulating land through dirt work or planting food plots, many landowners can turn the tide on the loss of wildlife habitat with the proper use of prescribed fire.

Baldridge said the formation of the prescribed burn association was a natural evolution to what the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other partnering organizations had been studying the last few years.

“Game and Fish started building prescribed burn associations a few years ago. Most of our members have been fortunate to have worked with many of the staff from Game and Fish, Quail Forever and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on burns and other private land habitat projects. The prescribed burn association just sort of seemed to be a missing piece to the puzzle that was already being put together,” Baldridge said.

Hunter Johnson of Des Arc and Catrina Mendoza of Searcy share director duties with Baldridge, who also lives in Searcy.

Baldridge said the association used states like Oklahoma and Florida as templates to follow in their formation.

“Oklahoma really sets the standard for a statewide prescribed burn association. They’ve grown to a massive organization with a budget over $1 million and eight full-time staff members to support all of their chapters.”

Game and Fish, Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Quail Forever all pitched in financially to help the new association build a firm foundation. Game and Fish granted the organization $25,000. Fish and Wildlife gave it $50,000 and Quail Forever provided $17,000 derived from its specialty license plate sales.

Baldridge says trailers, safety gear and other prescribed burn necessities also were donated to the association, increasing its startup assistance to more than $200,000 in funding and equipment. Since the organization is entirely volunteer-based, all of this funding is put directly into putting prescribed fire on the landscape.

Visit www.arfire.org for more information and to learn how to set up a new prescribed burn association in any area of Arkansas.

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Arkansas

Arkansas' official depth chart for Missouri game

Published

19 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Arkansas' official depth chart for Missouri game

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4, 3-4 SEC) have released the depth chart for Saturday’s regular season finale against the No. 24 Missouri Tigers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) at Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas recovered from a slow start to take down Louisiana Tech, 35-14, over the weekend in Fayetteville. Missouri bounced back from a loss to South Carolina on Sept. 16 with a 39-20 win at Mississippi State on Saturday.

A few changes were made to this week’s depth chart, most notably the absence of junior defensive end Nico Davillier at the defensive end position. The pass-rusher did not play against Louisiana Tech on Saturday due to a knee injury, and senior Anton Juncaj is the lone listed starter in Davillier’s place. Backing up Juncaj is freshman Charlie Collins.

At safety, sophomore TJ Metcalf and junior Miguel Mitchell no longer have an “or” listed between them. Metcalf is the starter with Mitchell backing him up. Finally, redshirt sophomore Brooks Edmonson is listed as the backup center behind Addison Nichols instead of redshirt sophomore Amaury Wiggins, who is no longer listed on the depth chart.

Here is the full Arkansas depth chart ahead of Saturday’s game against Missouri, which is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network at Memorial Stadium.

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