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

The Arkansas Razorbacks are trying to return to the status of being an elite college basketball program in 2024. The Hawgs kicked things off by hiring arguably the most recognizable head coach in the country away from SEC rival Kentucky, John Calipari, with plans of being one of the most aggressive programs in college basketball when it comes to NIL expenditures. Calipari, who many consider to be the best recruiter the sport has ever seen, responded in kind by putting together the No. 3 overall and No. 1 transfer Arkansas basketball recruiting class in the country within a couple of months of being hired.

Calipari inherited an Arkansas basketball roster that saw every scholarship player from 2023-34 either graduate or transfer. With minimal time to work, the Arkansas coaching staff landed eight four-star prospects: three high school recruits and five players in the Transfer Portal. The Hawks still have five available scholarships to work with as they finalize their 2024-25 Arkansas basketball lineup. 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

Several familiar faces will be joining Calipari in Fayetteville for the upcoming college basketball season. Guard D.J. Wagner, small forward Adou Thiero and center Zvonimir Ivisic all played for Kentucky as freshmen last season, and will be in position to compete for starting jobs at Arkansas as sophomores. They join former FAU guard Johnell Davis, a key member of the Owls' 2023 Final Four team, and former Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo, who averaged 11.4 points and 7.4 rebounds last season, in the Razorbacks' transfer class.

When it comes to the high school ranks, Calipari flipped the top three players he had signed at Kentucky before leaving for Arkansas. Small forward Billy Richmond, combo guard Boogie Fland, and small forward Karter Knox all decided to follow Coach Cal to Fayetteville. Each of the three players was a four-star recruit ranked in the top-25 players in the country, according to 247Sports. 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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