Arkansas
The No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class names Arkansas basketball in top-4
If you ask any honest Kentucky fan about John Calipari’s time as their head coach, they might have many negative things to say. But not one of them would argue about his recruiting abilities. Luckily, for Arkansas fans, it looks like he’s still got it.
On Friday, the No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class released his top-4 schools, including Arkansas.
Darius Acuff Jr. announced in an X post that Arkansas, UCONN, Kansas, and Michigan are still in play for his commitment. According to 247 Sports composite rankings, Acuff is a five-star prospect with a .9967 rating and the No. 8 player in the country. 247 itself is a little higher on Acuff, ranking him the nation’s fourth-best player in the 2025 class.
Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247 Sports, wrote this about the IMG Academy product:
“Acuff is the most dominant and dynamic lead guard in the class, who plays with outward confidence. He controls the offensive end of the floor with the ball in his hands and has a variety of versatile tools at his disposal. Firstly, he’s cut-up and powerful with long arms (a +4.5 inch wingspan). So, when he drops his body to attack, he can absorb contact without getting pushed off his line, whether that be in the open floor or half-court. That contributes to his ability to dictate his own pace and avoid getting sped up. He’s got a good early feel for how to play pick-and-roll, and loves to both change his angle right before reaching the screen and also split those defenders just when coming off. He’ll attack hard in the open floor and can really get downhill with his increasing power and sheer force.
“As Acuff has sculpted his frame, he’s simultaneously become more explosive and improved his first-step, but it’s often his second-move, or counter, that is especially lethal. He’s got a lot of different options when he goes through his legs mid-drive and has even become adept at adding a burst of speed, and accelerating, in the midst of his attack. Inside, the lane he has a full assortment of scoring options including crafty wrong-footed finishes, complete use of both hands at the rim, and good range on his runner. He is also a tough shot-maker and improving overall shooter who is equally dangerous off the catch or dribble, and doesn’t need much separation to get his shot off.
“Acuff is most effective when he’s making those around him better and asserting himself as efficiently as possible. He has good vision and is a talented passer, but like many young scoring lead guards, he can sometimes dominate the ball and settle for unnecessarily tough shots. Defensively, his physicality and competitiveness should be long-term assets, while he gradually seems to be getting a little looser in his hips.”
Landing Acuff isn’t a guarantee for Arkansas. On3 Sports has the Razorbacks with a 44.3 percent chance to land him, while Kansas still leads with a 51 percent chance.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Darius Acuff, the No. 1 ranked point guard in the 2025 class, is down to four schools, he tells @On3Recruits. https://t.co/K5N07Od5m3 pic.twitter.com/z1KHyXzYf0
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 28, 2024
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Arkansas
Shepherd confirmed as federal judge in Arkansas’ Western District – Talk Business & Politics
John Thomas Shepherd of El Dorado has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be a U.S. District judge in the Western District of Arkansas, according to the offices of U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
Shepherd is a native of El Dorado and graduate of Rice University and the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, where he was managing editor of the Arkansas Law Review.
He was a partner at Shepherd & Shepherd in El Dorado and also served as a prosecuting attorney, and later judge, for the Arkansas Circuit Court’s 13th Judicial District. He is a member of the Federalist Society, according to a press release from Cotton’s office.
His brother, Matthew Shepherd, is a partner in the El Dorado law firm and is a former speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives. Their father is Federal Judge Bobby Shepherd who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
“I am pleased to congratulate John Thomas Shepherd on his confirmation and am confident he will serve with the same integrity, professionalism and sound judgment he has demonstrated throughout his career,” noted a statement from Boozman’s. “We are grateful for his deep commitment to public service and the rule of law.”
Shepherd succeeds U.S. District Court Judge Susan Hickey who has been on the bench since October 2011. She was chief judge of the district between 2019 and 2025. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas includes 34 counties stretching from Texarkana and El Dorado to Fayetteville and Fort Smith.
Shepherd is the second Western District judge to be confirmed so far in 2026. David Clay Fowlkes, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, was confirmed in early February to be a federal judge in the Western District of Arkansas. He succeeded U.S. District Court Judge P.K. Holmes III, and will be in the Fort Smith office.
Other judges now in the Western District are Chief Judge Timothy Brooks (Fayetteville bench), Magistrate Judge Christy Comstock (Fayetteville), Magistrate Judge Mark Ford (Fort Smith), and Magistrate Judge Spencer Singleton (El Dorado).
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Arkansas
Furman transfer Cooper Bowser visiting Arkansas basketball | Whole Hog Sports
Arkansas
How far Alabama dropped in new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Pitching for Alabama baseball had been fine for much of this season. Then the Crimson Tide ran into an Arkansas Razorbacks team that got hot at the plate over the weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Arkansas scored 25 runs in a three-game sweep of the Tide, snapping a string of three straight SEC series victories for Alabama. In all three games, the Razorbacks’ bats came alive late. Arkansas used a six-run eighth inning on Friday for a 7-5 win, then plated 11 runs over the final three innings Saturday in a 15-6 rout.
Alabama had a 2-0 lead in after five innings in Sunday’s series finale, but the Razorbacks scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to complete the sweep. The Crimson Tide had won 11 of their last 12 games entering the weekend, including SEC series victories over top 25 teams Florida, Auburn and Oklahoma.
After a 1-3 week in Week 9 of the 2026 NCAA baseball season, here’s where Alabama ranks in Monday’s new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Alabama sees modest drop in Baseball Coaches Poll after Arkansas sweep
In Monday’s new Coaches Poll, Alabama (26-11 overall, 8-7 conference) fell four spots to No. 13. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot above the West Virginia Mountaineers and one spot below Oklahoma.
Alabama is one of five teams to drop at least four spots in this week’s top 25 rankings. Florida State had a four-spot fall to No. 10, and Mississippi State tied Nebraska for the biggest slide. The Bulldogs fell eight spots to No. 16; the Cornhuskers eight spots to No. 25.
SEC slides, ACC rises in top 5 of NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll
Both Georgia Tech and North Carolina rose in the top five of the Coaches Poll after impressive weekend series against Florida State and Clemson, respectively. Texas and Georgia dropped in the top five after series losses to Texas A&M and Florida, respectively.
Here’s a look at the full top 25 rankings in the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll for April 13.
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 33-2 | 750 | 30 | 1 | – | 1/2 |
| 2 | Georgia Tech | 30-5 | 719 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2/5 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 30-6 | 680 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3/14 |
| 4 | Texas | 27-7 | 621 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2/4 |
| 5 | Georgia | 29-8 | 618 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4/13 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 28-7 | 611 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6/18 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 27-7 | 516 | 0 | 15 | 8 | 7/NR |
| 8 | Coastal Carolina | 26-9 | 511 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 7/25 |
| 9 | USC | 30-7 | 506 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 8/NR |
| 10 | Florida State | 24-11 | 437 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 6/17 |
| 11 | Auburn | 24-11 | 402 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 4/12 |
| 12 | Virginia | 26-11 | 383 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 11/NR |
| 13 | Alabama | 26-11 | 325 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 9/NR |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 24-11 | 319 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 8/NR |
| 15 | West Virginia | 24-8 | 306 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 12/NR |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 26-10 | 305 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 3/16 |
| 17 | Arkansas | 24-13 | 272 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 5/22 |
| 18 | Florida | 27-10 | 233 | 0 | 24 | 6 | 8/25 |
| 19 | Oregon | 26-10 | 216 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 10/NR |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 25-11 | 176 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7/20 |
| 21 | Kansas | 26-10 | 153 | 0 | NR | 12 | 21/NR |
| 22 | Arizona State | 26-11 | 138 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 21/NR |
| 23 | Ole Miss | 26-11 | 125 | 0 | NR | 3 | 18/NR |
| 24 | Boston College | 26-12 | 111 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 24/25 |
| 25 | Nebraska | 27-9 | 93 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 17/NR |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 16 UCF; No. 23 North Carolina State
Others Receiving Votes
North Carolina State 74; UCF 49; Jacksonville State 33; Miami (FL) 15; Tennessee 14; California Baptist 13; Missouri State 6; Wake Forest 5; Kentucky 4; UC Santa Barbara 3; Vanderbilt 2; UTSA 2; LSU 2; Liberty 1; Dallas Baptist 1
Alabama baseball 2026 schedule: When do Crimson Tide play next?
Alabama will face the UAB Blazers (23-13) at Regions Field in Birmingham on Tuesday in midweek play. First pitch for Alabama-UAB is 6 p.m. CT.
The Crimson Tide visit Austin for their next series in SEC play beginning Friday. They take on the Texas Longhorns (27-7, 9-5) at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday.
Here’s a look at Alabama’s 2026 baseball schedule. All start times Central.
- Feb. 13-15: vs. Washington State (L, 8-4; W, 8-1; W, 11-1)
- Feb. 17: at Samford (W, 3-2)
- Feb. 18: vs. Alabama State (W, 2-1)
- Feb. 20-22: vs. Rhode Island (W, 19-4; W, 8-5; W, 11-1)
- Feb. 24: at Southern Miss (L, 14-4)
- Feb. 27: vs. Iowa at Frisco College Baseball Classic (W, 12-2)
- Feb. 28: vs. Oregon State at Frisco College Baseball Classic (W, 8-7)
- March 1: vs. Houston at Frisco College Baseball Classic (L, 8-2)
- March 3: vs. Jacksonville State (W, 6-5)
- March 4: at Alabama State (W, 13-4)
- March 6-8: vs. North Florida (W, 7-2; W, 9-3; W, 12-2)
- March 10: vs. Troy (W, 7-3)
- March 13-15: at Kentucky (L, 7-4; L, 8-7; L, 6-4)
- March 17: at South Alabama (L, 6-3)
- March 20-22: vs. Florida (W, 6-0; W, 8-4; W, 14-7)
- March 24: vs. Austin Peay (W, 6-2)
- March 27-29: vs. Auburn (W, 11-1; W, 3-2; W, 3-1)
- March 31: at Jacksonville State (W, 4-3)
- April 2-5: at Oklahoma (W, 10-7; L, 4-2; W, 3-2)
- April 7: vs. Samford (W, 16-2)
- April 10-12: vs. Arkansas (L, 7-5, L, 15-6, L, 3-2)
- April 14: at UAB, 6 p.m.
- April 17-19: at Texas (6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday)
- April 21: vs. UAB, 6 p.m.
- April 23-25: at Tennessee (6 p.m. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday)
- April 30-May 2: vs. Vanderbilt (6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday)
- May 5: at Troy, 6 p.m.
- May 8-10: at South Carolina (4:30 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Sunday)
- May 14-16: vs. Ole Miss (6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday)
- May 19-24: SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama
Record: 26-11 overall, 8-7 SEC.
Follow us at @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook, for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
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