As it with so many other teams, it’s a time of renewal for the Arkansas basketball program here on Easter Day 2025.
For the longest time, the only movement involved Zvonimir Ivisic transferring to Illinois and both Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero declaring for the NBA Draft. But five days ago, the transfer portal finally starting popping for the Hogs..
First, the Razorbacks very found their starting center in Florida State transfer Malique Ewin, who stands at 6-foot-11. He’s a unique big man with his fluid motions and high-level ball handling and passing ability for his size.
A couple hours later, Arkansas found another piece of its front court rotation in Nick Pringle. After stops at both Alabama and South Carolina, the 6-foot-9 forward brings a great deal of experience and physicality to the team.
Those are still the only two transfer portal pulls Arkansas has made, but Thursday afternoon, Karter Knox announced that he would be testing the NBA Draft waters while maintaining college eligibility. While his decision is up in the air, simple bean counting says it’s more likely that Knox returns than leaves. For the sake of this wishlist, let’s assume he’s back for the 2025-26 campaign.
Assuming Knox eventually withdraws his name from the draft, the Hogs are now at five returners (DJ Wagner, Trevon Brazile, Billy Richmond and Jaden Karuletwa), four freshmen (including Karim Rtail from Europe) and two transfers. With roster sizes changing to a hard-cap of 15 players next season, that leaves four open spots for Calipari and staff to work with.
Of course, not all four spots can be filled with high-level players, but Arkansas could certainly grab a couple more key contributors before its rotation is set for next season.
Ranking the Remaining Portal Players for Arkansas
Honorable Mention: Tyran Stokes
We’ll start with a non-portal player. Tyran Stokes is currently ranked the No. 1 player in the 2026 recruiting class, but whispers have circulated around the 6-foot-7 forward reclassifying to 2025 in order to head to college one year early.
Of course, a lot of moving pieces would have to fall the right way for the Hogs to land a player that’s not even technically available yet, but if anyone can pull a rabbit out of a hat to get a top-rated freshman recruit on campus, it’s John Calipari.
Stokes recently visited Kansas as a member of the 2026 class, but the physically imposing forward has almost certainly heard from Calipari and his recruiting staff.
Again, this is an honorable mention for a reason, but if Stokes does become a late entry into the 2025-26 collegiate player pool, don’t be surprised to see Arkansas among his top suitors.
6. BJ Freeman — Arizona State
The one thing teams can never really have too much of is tall wings who can shoot the rock. BJ Freeman is exactly that. If Knox does return to the team, a wing player at the two or three who can provide floor spacing and shot-creation is one of the only needs left for the Hogs.
Last season at Arizona State, the 6-foot-6 swingman made 35.6% of his long range shots on relatively high volume, attempting 6.0 threes per game. For reference, Johnell Davis led Arkansas in attempts at 5.1 per game.
Along with his serviceable shooting, Freeman also averages 3.2 assists per game in his collegiate career. He’s considered more of a scoring guard rather than a pass-first player – especially after averaging 21.1 points at Milwaukee in 2023-24 – but his 19.9% assist rate would’ve ranked second on this year’s Razorback squad behind only Boogie Fland.
Another defensive-minded forward might be another area of need for the Hogs, but if it’s a shooting guard with length and the ability to generate offense that Calipari and his staff are after, Freeman could certainly fit that bill.
5. Andrej Stojakovic — Cal
Did someone say a former five-star and son of a former NBA All-Star? That definitely feels like a player John Calipari would be interested in. Granted, Andrej Stojakovic is not nearly the shooter his father Peja was – but he still hit 32.2% from distance over his first two seasons in college.
Last season, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists at Cal. The hereditary shooting touch manifests itself more once Stojakovic gets a foot in the paint on drives.
However, his ability to drive into the paint given his size – as well as his defensive ability – is a bit at odds with what his father is well-remembered for. Arkansas has plenty of length and defenders on the squad already, but adding a 6-foot-7 shooting guard who can create a shot for himself – and is still a capable shooter off the catch – would give them an excellent piece offensively.
Several other players on this list are closer to true point guards or need the ball in their hands often to affect the game, but Stojakovic could be a great option as an off-ball talent who can still put the ball on the deck to create looks while splitting minutes at the two with Meleek Thomas.
4. PJ Haggerty — Memphis
PJ Haggerty is the highest scoring player in the transfer portal, coming off of 21.7 PPG campaign at Memphis. The reigning AAC Player of the Year does a majority of his scoring inside the 3-point line, somewhat of a rarity amongst high-scoring guards in the modern world of basketball.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard hit 36.4% of his long-range shots, but attempted only 3.1 per game. For reference, three different Razorbacks averaged more than 3.5 attempts per game a year ago despite having one of the lowest 3-point attempt rates in the country as a team.
The Hogs could use more scoring on their roster for next season, but they may be more in the market for a shooter than a pure scorer – especially one used to having the ball in his hands a lot with both DJ Wagner and Darius Acuff already in the fold.
Still, it’s hard to say no to an elite, high-level scorer if he wanted to join the team. Haggerty, Wagner and Acuff are all strong enough as guards to play at the two alongside at least one other guard, making this addition a real possibility despite all three being considered point guards.
Plus, it would take that whole John Calipari-Memphis beef thing to an entirely new level.
3. Chad Baker-Mazara — Auburn
I know, I know. Weird. Gross. Out of left field. I get it.
But hear me out.
The former Auburn star is entering what feels like his 10th season of college basketball (actually his sixth including a JUCO year and a free COVID year). The biggest argument against adding him to the squad are his non-basketball related antics and tendency to pick up technical fouls because of it. No Razorback fan can forget his primping in front of the Hogs’ bench in February.
However, it’s important to remember that John Calipari is the Razorbacks’ head coach and he rarely puts up with nonsense like that. If he feels he can reign Chad Baker-Mazara in some, then we can move on to the fact that his skillset actually fits nicely in this roster.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Baker-Mazara is more of a guard than a forward. He would give Arkansas yet another extremely versatile wing and potentially be the best shooter on the team after hitting 39.8% of his career 3-pointers.
The lefty sharp-shooter has been part of a winning program under a really good head coach already, has great size for the wing position, can score both inside and out, utilizes his length in passing lanes, and has plenty of SEC experience. Arkansas is in need of a wing who can plug a lot of holes depending on which lineup it deploys – especially if Knox does stay in the draft.
Whether you like him or not, the fit is there.
2. Ian Jackson — North Carolina
One of the shiftiest players in all of college basketball, Ian Jackson is a hot commodity in the transfer portal. Signs point to St. John’s being the current leader in the clubhouse for the 6-foot-4 guard’s services, but the transfer portal can change in a heartbeat.
The soon-to-be sophomore averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals while shooting 45.6% from the field and 39.5% from long range, including a seven-game stretch in the middle of the season in which he averaged 22.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists.
Jackson has elite ball handling abilities and a smooth release on his jumpshot. His ability to break down a defense and get into the paint would fit beautifully alongside the Razorbacks’ current roster – not to mention his ability to knock down long range shots at a high clip, something no team can ever have too much of.
The return of DJ Wagner and arrival of Darius Acuff is perhaps the biggest barrier in Arkansas landing the services of Jackson. He’s tall enough and a good enough shooter to play off-ball, but he’s the type of player who is likely looking for a team where he can spend a majority of his time on-ball making plays.
But hey, a fan can dream.
1. Jamir Watkins — Florida State
Jamir Watkins may not be the universal pick for best overall player remaining in the portal, but he fits Arkansas’ needs better than virtually anyone else available. Standing at 6-foot-7, Watkins is listed as a forward, but he could realistically play anywhere from the 2 through the 4 in different lineups.
At Florida State this past season, Watkins averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals. He’s a jack of all trades who can do a bit of everything, but has not separated himself as a true specialist in any category. Watkins is an athletic, rim-hunting finisher with good touch in the paint, but he’s also capable of knocking down shots from the perimeter despite his 32.1% 3-point mark from a season ago.
One of the more unique parts of his game is his ability to run the pick-and-roll as a tall wing player. He’s not blindingly quick and doesn’t have shifty side-to-side dribble moves, but he’s solid and secure with the rock and makes good reads as an on-ball decision maker.
This – more than anything else – gives him the ability to play as an off-guard with three other forwards on the court. That allows for ultra-tall lineups that could cause defensive nightmares for opponents.
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