Year 1 of the John Calipari era at Arkansas could and should be labeled a success. The program reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament after a dreadful start to SEC play, and found itself in a position to reach the Elite Eight before squandering a double-digit lead in a loss to Texas Tech.
Arkansas’ top-three leading scorers (Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland and Johnell Davis) have moved on from the program. Thiero was a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, Fland transferred to Florida and Davis graduated after a lengthy college career. The good news for the Razorbacks is that there will be more continuity on this roster than last year after Calipari scrambled to build a roster from the ground up after leaving Kentucky after 15 years with the program.
The biggest name returning to the program is star guard DJ Wagner, who began his career at Kentucky with Calipari. Karter Knox and Billy Richmond lll — two former Kentucky pledges — are returning to the program after productive seasons primarily coming off the bench.
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With college basketball’s player movement all but done, it’s time to start breaking down the rosters of the sport’s top programs. For this installment, we’re taking a look at Arkansas and trying to decipher what its lineup could look like when the season begins.
Arkansas was an overtime away from the inaugural season under John Calipari to be an absolute success. So what will the Razorbacks do for an encore? Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander take a look under the hood at year two in Fayetteville.
Projected starting lineup
1. Darius Acuff Jr. | 6-2 | 180 | Fr.
Calipari has been one of the best at producing point guards ready to play in the NBA. Dating back to his stints at Memphis and Kentucky, Calipari coached future NBA stars such as Derrick Rose, John Wall, Jamal Murray and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Acuff is in line to be the next great point guard Calipari produces. He finished ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports and has been labeled as a dominant lead guard.
2. DJ Wagner | 6-4 | 190 | Jr.
Wagner is entering his third college season. He started his career at Kentucky before transferring to Arkansas to follow Calipari last offseason. Wagner is a former highly-touted recruit who averaged a career-high 11.2 points last season. Wagner should benefit from playing another season of college basketball.
3. Karter Knox | 6-6 | 220 | So.
The younger brother of former Kentucky player Kevin Knox Jr. is back for his second season with the program. Knox was a former Kentucky pledge himself before he followed Calipari to Arkansas. He started 24 games last season and his role should be more consistent heading into his sophomore campaign.
4. Trevon Brazile | 6-10 | 230 | Sr.
Brazile will be the most experienced player in this starting lineup. After he began his career at Missouri in 2021, he transferred to Arkansas to play for former coach Eric Musselman. Brazile was the only player with extensive playing experience who stayed at Arkansas when the program went through its coaching transition. He has started 59 games in his career.
5. Nick Pringle | 6-8 | 231 | Sr.
When Pringle suits up for Arkansas this season, it will mark his third different SEC program in three years. He started his career at Wofford back in 2020 and was on Alabama’s team two years ago that reached the Final Four for the first time in its program’s history. Pringle played last season at South Carolina and started 32 games.
Off the bench
Meleek Thomas | 6-4 | 205 | Fr.
Thomas ranked as the No. 13 overall player and the third-ranked shooting guard in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports. He’s expected to play a significant role — most likely off the bench — for Arkansas. The McDonald’s All-American should add scoring.
Billy Richmond lll | 6-9 | 225 | Sr.
Richmond was part of Arkansas’ star-studded 2024 recruiting class and was one of a handful of players who elected to return to school. Richmond appeared in 36 games off the bench last season and averaged 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Malique Ewin | 6-8 | 215 | Fr.
Ewin was one of two key transfers Arkansas brought in. Ewin ranked as the No. 106 overall player in the 247Sports transfer rankings. He averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 30 games for Florida State last season. He began his career at Ole Miss in 2022.
Filling out the roster
Arkansas also finished with the No. 4-ranked recruiting class in the 2025 cycle by 247Sports. That star-studded class is headlined by Acuff Jr. — the top-ranked point guard in the class — and Thomas. Calipari didn’t produce a first-round pick for the first time since 2007, but that is expected to change with Acuff and Thomas both being candidates to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Market watch
Arkansas’ odds to win 2026 NCAA Tournament (via Fanduel): +3000
The expectation for Arkansas heading into Year 2 of the Calipari era is to make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament. That would mean a berth — at minimum — to the Elite Eight. The Razorbacks struggled mightily during the first month of SEC play under Calipari before the switch flipped. If Arkansas doesn’t start slow like last year, it should be able to be one of the top contenders in the SEC.
Arkansas currently has the 14th-best odds (alongside Alabama) to win the 2026 national title. The teams from the SEC with better odds currently are Florida (17-1), Kentucky (17-1) and Auburn (25-1). The Razorbacks have star power and continuity on the roster. That should be enough to get Arkansas out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
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