Karter Knox bypasses USF again, pledges to Arkansas

Any lingering hope USF basketball fans had of landing five-star prospect Karter Knox formally were vanquished Monday when the former Tampa Catholic star pledged to Arkansas.

Initially a Kentucky commitment who had listed the Bulls among his four college finalists, Knox reopened his recruiting earlier this month when John Calipari stepped down as Wildcats coach. He’ll now follow Calipari to Arkansas, which hired the Hall of Fame coach April 10.

Among Calipari’s assistants is former Louisville coach Kenny Payne; Louisville also was among Knox’s final college choices.

“Throughout my whole recruiting process, Coach Cal always said he wants to make me a pro, and I trust that he will do that for me at Arkansas,” Knox wrote on a social media post. “I also have a great relationship with (Payne), so getting to play for two coaches I admire is a dream come true.”

A former Tampa Catholic standout, Knox played this past season for Overtime Elite, the pro basketball league for 16- to 20-year-olds where players can opt to play for a salary or scholarship money to preserve their college eligibility.

Deemed the country’s No. 20 overall prospect from the Class of 2024 by 247Sports, he officially visited USF, where his older brother, Kobe, just finished a sparkling redshirt sophomore season for the 25-8 Bulls.

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