Arkansas basketball under John Calipari: Insiders say transfer portal news, 2024 roster, recruits, targets

The Arkansas Razorbacks will usher in a new era when the 2024-25 college basketball season tips off this fall. Eric Musselman left the program to become the new head coach at USC, and the Hawgs responded by sending shockwaves throughout college basketball when they hired John Calipari away from Kentucky. Calipari spent 15 seasons in Lexington, and during that stretch he won one national championship and established himself as arguably the best recruiter in the history of the sport.

When Calipari arrived in Fayetteville, he was tasked with building a new Arkansas basketball roster. He has had immediate success, putting together the No. 3 overall and No. 1 transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports. The Razorbacks have eight scholarships locked up for next year, with five remaining spots available. If you love the Razorbacks, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at HawgSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Arkansas.

The team of insiders at HawgSports.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Arkansas basketball coaching transition and roster changes. Launched in 2002, HawgSports has established itself as the top source for insider Arkansas basketball coverage. Trey Biddy, Danny West and Connor Goodson have a combined 30 years of experience covering the Razorbacks professionally. And right now, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual subscription*, so now is the time to sign up.

The team at HawgSports has full coverage of who is coming and who is going on the Arkansas basketball roster. Head to HawgSports now to see all the insider info.

Arkansas basketball roster departures 

Last year’s Arkansas team returned 36.3% of its scoring from the 2022-23 roster, which is a high rate in this age of the transfer portal. But this year’s Arkansas Razorbacks squad returns .0003% of its scoring, thanks to the lone holdover, Lawson Blake, scoring just one point a year ago. Thus, Calipari has a complete roster overhaul to make as the 2024-25 Arkansas basketball team will have no continuity. Double-digit scorers Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle have respectively transferred to Texas and Gonzaga as part of the mass exodus from Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks’ average age of 22.7 last season was the second-oldest in Division I, when weighted by minutes. The team is losing nine seniors, and even those who lowered the average age have since departed. Layden Blocker and Baye Fall, who were Class of 2023 freshmen and top-10 national prospects at their respective positions, have since committed to other programs. So while Calipari has done a nice job in adding highly-ranked incoming recruits and transfers, he still just has a seven-man squad so there’s lots of work to be done. Join HawgSports to see the latest on all of Arkansas’ roster changes. 

Arkansas basketball news, roster

Calipari’s first roster at Arkansas will have a definite Kentucky flair to it. Arkansas almost immediately pillaged the Wildcats’ 2024 recruiting class, flipping a trio of four-star prospects that had originally signed to play for Calipari in Lexington. Small forward Karter Knox, the brother of NBA player Kevin Knox, small forward Billy Richmond, and combo guard Boogie Fland, all changed plans and are set to attend Arkansas in the fall. Each of the three was ranked inside the top-25 high school players in the country, according to 247Sports.

Calipari also landed three transfers who played for him as freshmen at Kentucky in 2023-24. Guard D.J. Wagner, small forward Adou Thiero and center Zvonimir Ivisic will all be in Fayetteville in the fall. Wagner will team with former FAU guard Johnell Davis, who was the No. 3 overall transfer prospect according to 247Sports, to give the Hawgs one of the premier backcourts in the SEC. Join HawgSports to get the latest on all of Arkansas’ roster additions.

How to get insider Arkansas basketball roster updates

Calipari has already been in contact with multiple transfers from power-conference teams, so be sure to join HawgSports to see who they are and get the rest of the insider roster news. 

Who are the top names Arkansas basketball is pursuing under coach John Calipari, and which power-conference transfers could land in Fayetteville? Go to HawgSports to see their insider information, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Razorbacks, and find out. And reminder, HawgSports is offering 30% off the first year of an annual VIP membership*, so subscribe now before it’s too late.

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