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Arkansas may be losing their star point guard but coach John Calipari may have his replacement headed to town.
Landing point guard Darius Acuff could be better. Especially if he can stay healthier longer than Boogie Fland, who suffered a hand injury requiring surgery.
As good as the Razorbacks played with him out the only way it could have been better was get to the Elite Eight and Final Four. That's a hypothetical not worth debating now.
Arkansas signee Darius Acuff was named the Allen Iverson National High School Player of the Year. #wps pic.twitter.com/ashlQXcKio
— JC Hoops (@JacksonCollier) May 8, 2025
With the final recruiting rankings from 247Sports released there were some surprises for Hogs' fans. Pleasant ones for a change, too.
This class ranked No. 5 overall and first in the SEC in high school recruits, led by the country's highest-rated point guard in Darius Acuff. He was the No. 5 player in the country.
In the player rankings, Acuff is the third-highest Arkansas recruit since they started keeping up with all this stuff. He's behind Nick Smith and Al Jefferson, both of whom didn't contribute much in Fayetteville.
Smith a couple of years ago played very little with a mysterious injury and bailed to the NBA. Jefferson committed to the Razorbacks, but chose the straight path to pro ball.
5⭐️ Arkansas signee Darius Acuff Jr. has an old-school swagger and a crazy skillset (@DariusAcuff)
— GREENLIGHT MEDIA (@greenlightbball) April 26, 2025
Plays at his own pace, super crafty, strong around the rim, and an elite playmaker.
Avg’d 23.7PTS, 3.2REB & 5.9AST per game for @IMGABasketball this past season. pic.twitter.com/oE4lwAxCtf
Acuff will be with Calipari for a year and that was probably the expectation when they recruited him. Hopefully he can avoid injuries and actually do big things on the floor for fans.
Fland quickly became a fan favorite and is in the transfer port, expected to go the NBA. With the signing of Acuff and Fland's backup, Karter Knox, finding out his draft prospects but keeping the door open with the Hogs, is expected to be back.
Along with some notable portal transfers coming in, Calipari is projecting a roster that's a little deeper this year. At times, due to injuries, the Razorbacks were down nearly alarm-type numbers at times. The biggest positive out of all that was nobody complaining about playing time.
With Trevin Brazile coming back (again) this may be the deepes, most experienced Arkansas team with talent we've seen in awhile. Adding immediate impact youngsters like Acuff just makes the prospects even brighter.
Ranking ahead of Arkansas final standings, in order, are Houston, Arizona, Duke and Notre Dame. Fans would probably be okay with that every year. It's why everyone is on the wagon and the basketball program starting to get back where fans have wanted for 30 years since they won the national title.
BIG congrats to Arkansas signees Darius Acuff + Meleek Thomas who earned a TON of respect in 247's final rankings
— TorresOnArkansas (@TorresOnTheHogs) May 7, 2025
* Darius Acuff - No. 5 player nationally
* Meleek Thomas - No. 13 player nationally
CANNOT wait to see these guys at BWA next season pic.twitter.com/lTZEH47RNU
Acuff, Meleek Thomas, Isaiah Sealy and Kareem Rtail are all freshmen being added to the mix with three confirmed returners in Brazile, Billy Richmond and DJ Wagner. Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle are highly-rated transfers. If Knox comes back the roster will be deep and experienced.
The combination of Acuff and Thomas in the backcourt, though, seems to be what most national analysts are getting excited about. Both have had impressive outings in the high school All-Star games.
All of this is what Arkansas fans expected with Calipari. Now they just want to get past the Sweet 16.
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