Arkansas Loses Former 5-Star Recruit to College Basketball Transfer Portal

Among that group was guard D.J. Wagner. Coming out of high school in the 2023 cycle, he was a five-star recruit and the No. 7 player in the nation, per Rivals Industry Rankings . He chose Calipari and Kentucky over the Memphis Tigers, Temple Owls, Louisville Cardinals and Villanova Wildcats.

Following his freshman year with Kentucky, he transferred to Arkansas, following Calipari. After two years in Fayetteville, his time with the Razorbacks is over. On Monday, On3 reported that Wagner is set to enter the transfer portal, which opens on Tuesday. He will have one more year of eligibility.

After starting 36 games during the 2024-25 season, he saw a dip in playing time this year. Playing in 35 games with 19 starts, he averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, all of which were career lows. He also shot 42.9% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the three-point line.

While Wagner lost some playing time, he was still an effective piece in helping Arkansas make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. He is also the second player the Razorbacks are set to lose through the portal, joining forward Karter Knox.