Former five-star freshman Jordan Walsh will officially keep his name in the NBA Draft as Wednesday marked the last day he could decide to maintain his eligibility. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony first reported the news of Walsh remaining in the draft.
As a freshman at Arkansas, Walsh averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 assists per game. He started 22 of 36 games he appeared in, and shot 43.3% from the field, 27.8% from three and 71.2% from the free throw line.
Walsh had a +/- of +22 in the 10-point win over Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and he was +12 in the one-point win over 1-seed Kansas in the Round of 32. Among Arkansas’ regular rotation, Walsh was a team-best +8.52/40 min on the year.
The 6-foot-7 McDonald’s All-American had an up and down freshman season for the Razorbacks, as he struggled to find a consistent outside shot or confidence on the offensive end, but was known for his athleticism and hustle plays.
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Walsh, a native of Desoto, Texas, drew eyes from NBA scouts because of his size, athleticism, versatility and work ethic. While there is plenty of room for improvement, the modern NBA drafts based on potential, and Walsh has that in droves.
Conversations early in the offseason with NBA scouts and sources from the team all alluded to the same reasoning for Walsh sticking in the draft. Some scouts even went as far as to say they would take him in the late first or early second round as they were willing to take a chance on him as a player, albeit a project at the onset.
The thinking is that Walsh has the work ethic to smooth out the rough edges of his game and a good enough shooting form where minor adjustments and major repetition can help make him a viable option from the perimeter at the next level.
Walsh joins teammates Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Ricky Council IV in staying in the NBA Draft, and his departure leaves Arkansas with one open roster spot to work with for next season.
Of the four Arkansas players that entered their name in the NBA Draft while maintaining eligibility — Walsh, Davonte Davis, Houston transfer Tramon Mark and Louisville transfer El Ellis — Walsh is the only one to keep his name in the draft.
Former Arkansas offensive tackle Ty’Kieast Crawford has changed his mind on his destination for this fall and is transferring to West Virginia, his agents told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 324-pounder had originally committed to play for UCLA in 2025, but now the mammoth tackle has pivoted and has decided to play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown this fall. Crawford started 9 games along the Razorbacks’ offensive line.
West Virginia has added former Arkansas offensive tackle Ty’Kieast Crawford, his agents tell ESPN. He entered the portal and originally committed to UCLA but instead will play for Rich Rodriguez in Morgantown. Crawford started nine games for Arkansas.
Crawford’s collegiate journey has already taken him to multiple schools. He began his career at Charlotte, choosing to play there over the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Purdue, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, USC and, ironically, West Virginia. So Crawford will now have played for 2 of the schools he originally spurned, in Arkansas and West Virginia.
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But Crawford didn’t last long at Charlotte, playing just 1 season for the 49ers. He entered the transfer portal and ended up at Arkansas after spurning the Razorbacks in his original recruiting process. Crawford appeared in 33 games for the Razorbacks over the course of 4 seasons, making 9 starts.
He will have 1 more year of eligibility left when he arrives in Morgantown to play for Rodriguez this fall.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
After last week’s winter storm, several Arkansas school districts have announced that they will remain closed or will open late on Monday because of icy road conditions in neighborhoods and secondary streets:
* Benton School District: Closed.
* Booneville School District: Closed.
* Bryant School District: Closed.
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* Cabot School District: Schools will have a 2-hour delayed start.
* Conway School District: School will start at 10 a.m. after a 2-hour delay. Snow bus routes will be in effect.
* Greenbrier School District: Closed.
* Hot Springs School District: Closed.
* Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District: Closed. District offices and departments will open.
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* Little Rock School District: Closed. However, all 12-month employees, school administration and custodians should report to work at regularly scheduled times.
* North Little Rock School District: Closed. District Central Office sites will open at 10 a.m. Monday.
* Pulaski County Special School District: Closed. District offices will be open for those who can safely report to work, including auxiliary offices. School staff who are 244-day employees will be expected to report to work as well.
* Sheridan School District: Closed.
This list is based on school district news releases and social media posts, and it is not comprehensive. For information on other Arkansas school districts, patrons are asked to consult their school’s website or district app.
While the Arkansas Razorbacks have been hitting the transfer portal hard, it is partially as a result of having more than 20 scholarship players decide to enter the portal after a 6-6 regular season that was capped off with a Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech on Dec. 27.
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The transfer portal officially opened Dec. 9 and it was open for a 30 day window through Dec. 28. There is also an additional five-day window for players to enter once their season is over, plus there will be an additional 10-day portal window from April 16-25.
ALSO READ: Arkansas Football 2025 Roster Tracker
HawgBeat provides a look at where former Razorbacks have transferred so far…
Note: “GP” denotes games played. Even if a player appears on special teams, that counts as a game played.
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OL Patrick Kutas – Ole Miss
From: Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, TN)
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