With the Arkansas high school football season a few weeks away, the SBLive staff is looking at each classification’s conferences. We will predict the order of finish in each league. In this installment, we dive into Class 3A.
The defending Class 3A champions lose some big contributors from last season, including two-way star Dax Goff, but with a core group of starters returning on both sides, the Bearcats are gunning for a repeat. The perennial power always has state-title goals, and this year won’t be different, but the 3A-1 will be tough to navigate with a rejuvenated Mansfield and rival Charleston challenging at the top and other teams improving.
Salem is the logical pick after winning 11 games for the first time in more than 10 years last fall. The Greyhounds must replace some key cogs but have a veteran defense returning. The toughest conference game will be at Mayflower in Week 9. The Eagles could win the league title as they drop down from 4A, but the Greyhounds have a slight edge in experience.
Walnut Ridge is a trendy pick with a group of veterans returning. Rivercrest was the runner-up in Class 4A last season and now moves down a class with some stars returning, including veteran senior quarterback Cavonta Washington, who accounted for more than 2,300 yards of offense last year. Newport will challenge after Penn State running back commit Kiandre Barker transferred there this summer. This league will be very competitive, and the games with these three teams will be highly anticipated, and Hoxie and Osceola won’t go quietly, either. Rivercrest gets the nod with successful head coach Johnny Fleming leading the charge.
It’s hard not to go with Glen Rose considering its tradition, but the Beavers are inexperienced and the Mustangs could be on the brink of something special, returning 16 starters from a team that finished 8-4 a season ago. Connor Frith is one of the most complete football players in the state engineering the offense at quarterback and patrolling the defense at safety, where he intercepted 12 passes last year. Glen Rose at Perryville on Oct. 18 will be a great game.
The defending state runners-up are loaded again and should be back in Little Rock in December. The league schedule might be a bit tougher than last season, however. If some of these teams do take lumps from the ultra-talented Curley Wolves, who feature Tulsa commit Decari Prater at quarterback, they could make some noise in the playoffs because the likes of Bismarck and Camden Harmony Grove Ouachita County have talented, veteran squads.
Some will pick McGehee because the Owls are moving down to 3A after some great success in 4A. McGehee, though, is coming off an uncharacteristic down year at 5-5 and returns just 10 starters from that club. Conversely, Fordyce returns a veteran club from a squad that won a playoff game and lost to Prescott, 7-6, in the second round of the playoffs. The Redbugs were 6-6 but take a bigger jump this year under veteran coach Tim Rodgers, whose teams have won two state titles at the school. The Fordyce-McGehee game is the final week of the regular season at Fordyce and will likely be for the league title.
— Nate Olson | nate@scorebooklive.com | @ndosports
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Arkansas law enforcement agencies are hosting their 16th-annual Drug Take Back Day this month.
The event is designed so that Arkansans can safely and anonymously dispose of any expired, unused or unwanted medications. Officials say they want to prevent opioid misuse, reduce accidental poisonings, protect waterways from contamination and keep communities safe.
Its set to take place on Saturday, April 25.
“Arkansas Drug Take Back Day continues to bring communities together in the fight against substance misuse, and we’re proud to play such a vital part in it,” said Kirk Lane, director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP). “We invite Arkansans to take a few minutes to clean out their medicine cabinets, drop off unneeded prescriptions and protect their families and neighbors.”
Arkansans destroyed 26,500 pounds of medication during the fall 2025 Drug Take Back Day. Since 2010, over 342 tons have been destroyed.
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There are more than 300 drop boxes that Arkansans can use year-round. You can find your nearest drop box by CLICKING HERE.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With the transfer portal reshaping rosters overnight and elite freshmen arriving every summer, projecting the next college basketball season has become an exercise in controlled chaos.
Still, a handful of programs have positioned themselves early as national title contenders through roster continuity, program consistency and coaching stability.
Arkansas will once again be in the mix, but its true preseason forecast will come once the portal is mostly wrapped up. Coach John Calipari knows what type of player he needs to add for his team to advance past the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and probably won’t sleep a whole lot until he signs at least one major contributor in the paint.
No. 1 seed Michigan had a stellar run in its second season under coach Dusty May, who competes for a national championship against No. 2 seed UConn Monday night. He goes up against two-time championship coach Dan Hurley, who is looking to join elite company by winning his third trophy with the Huskies.
Which teams are best equipped already for next season? Here’s an early look at who can make a run in 2026-27.
The Wolverines absolutely make sense regardless of if they win a national title Monday night. May added a commitment from 5-star guard Brandon McCoy Saturday who projects to be a lead guard at the next level.
Key big man Yaxel Lendeborg will be a huge loss after being a critical piece to Michigan’s championship game run. Power forward Morez Johnson should return after averaging over 13 points and seven rebounds per game.
Another likely returnee is Trey McKenney, who played well as a freshman averaging 11 points and 44% shooting in the month of March.
Whether Hurley’s bid for a third title falls short, his brilliant coaching in the NCAA Tournament is worth keeping the Huskies near the top of all college basketball rankings.
Veterans such as Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed are seeing their eligibility expire while freshman Braylon Mullins could opt to enter the NBA Draft.
Veteran guard Silas Demary has been a nice addition from Georgia out of the portal this season and will likely return as the Huskies’ starting point guard.
The Blue Devils are set to lose the Boozer twins, but have signed capable replacements in true freshmen Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey, Jr.
Coach Jon Scheyer’s group will continue to run the ACC until anyone else decides to be up for the challenge. If he can find a way to keep Patrick Ngongba around for next season as his key big man, then there’s no reason to count out Duke as national title favorites once again.
No one will ever doubt coach Tom Izzo’s ability to assemble a championship contender and he did just that with Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears and company this season.
With a top high school recruiting class and a couple of key portal additions on the perimeter, the Spartans will be Big Ten title contenders and earn a Top 4 NCAA Tournament seed.
Coach Brad Underwood has made the Fightin’ Illini a raging success and nearly led his team to the promised land this season.
He discovered freshman wing Keaton Wagler before anyone else, and became a household name and potential lottery pick after arriving to school as aTop 150 prospect.
Lightning might not strike twice next year, but he’ll probably have another solid team built for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Sharpshooter Andrej Stojakovic and forward David Mirkovic are both expected to return after playing key roles in Illinois’ first Final Four run in two decades.
The Wildcats were no match for Michigan in the Final Four and are likely going to lose key freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries to the NBA Draft. Keeping veteran big man Mo Krivas and key wing Ivan Kharchenkov in the rotation is key.
Adding McDonald’s All-American MVP Caleb Holt won’t hurt either as the next great freshman for the Wildcats.
Coach John Calipari knows his biggest assignment will be adding a big man or two to round out his rotation. He has a three 5-star freshmen in Jordan Smith, Jr. (No. 2 ranked prospect, JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure coming in with potential key returnee Billy Richmond to potentially lockdown the perimeter.
Arkansas fans are hungry to see their team get back to the Final Four and have been inching closer each of the previous five seasons.
The Boilermakers are set to lose All-American guard Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn which will be hard to come back from for any team.
However, Matt Painter continues to reload with guys who often fly under the radar or lesser known on the recruiting trail out of high school. His next team may not be as talented, or veteran laden but should be fixtures in the Big Ten no matter what the offseason brings.
The Red Storm will find it tough to replace versatile big man Zury Ejifor, but if anyone can do so it’s hall of fame coach Rick Pitino. His team has been close to breaking into national title contention over the previous two seasons.
Pitino’s combination of Ian Jackson, Dylan Darling and Ruben Prey can give St. John’s a boost next season.
Nate Oats has the Crimson Tide at a level never before seen in Tuscaloosa with at least a Sweet 16 or better finish in each of the previous four seasons.
Star guard Labaron Philon is probably headed to the league as a mid-first round prospect which leaves a gaping hole in Alabama’s rotation for next season.
Top 20 freshman guard Qadyden Samuels is potentially a solid replacement with a complete offensive skillset as a three-level scorer. If his length translates well to college, he can be an exceptional perimeter defender.
Oats will need to find a way to keep key big men such as Amari Allen and Aiden Sherrell around or pick up a couple out of the transfer portal to stay near the top of the SEC.
The Cyclones were on the verge of a breakthrough before falling short in the Sweet 16. Losing All-American Joshua Jefferson early in the tournament sidelined any hopes of coach T.J. Otzelberger leading his team to its first Final Four since 1944.
Iowa State will probably make a strong run in the portal to replace other key contributors. But one thing is sure that this program has staying power on the national scene.
Each passing year it seems that the biggest question is whether or not coach Bill Self will return for another year.
He is, at least this year, but even with his exceptional recruiting skills and a deep portal budget, it seems like a slight nosedive has taken place since winning the national title in 2022.
Star freshman Darryn Peterson’s one-and-done stay in Lawrence certainly didn’t live up to the hype. Big man Flory Bidunga is currently evaluating his options, which shouldn’t give anyone a reason to rank the Jayhawks higher.
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
14. Gonzaga Bulldogs
15. Florida Gators
16. North Carolina Tar Heels
17. Louisville Cardinals
18. Wisconsin Badgers
19. Nebraska Cornhuskers
20. Houston Cougars
21. Providence Friars
22. St. Louis Billekins
23. Texas Longhorns
24. Auburn Tigers
25. LSU Tigers
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