On the eve of the early signing period, things are really starting to heat up on the recruiting trail for Arkansas basketball.
The Razorbacks landed their second five-star commitment in the 2025 class on Monday when shooting guard Meleek Thomas picked them over UConn and Pittsburgh.
As a duo, he and point guard Darius Acuff Jr. give Arkansas the 14th-best class in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. That seems low for a John Calipari-coached team, but it’s the highest among schools with only two pledges and the Razorbacks are actively recruiting other big-time players to join the backcourt pair.
This weekend could be huge on that front. Not only is four-star Isaiah Sealy, arguably the top player in the state, announcing his decision on Saturday, but Arkansas is also reportedly hosting five-star Caleb Wilson, one of its top remaining targets.
News of Wilson’s trip to Fayetteville was reported by numerous outlets, including HawgBeat, on Tuesday – a day after Thomas went public with his decision to play for the Razorbacks.
Of course, it should be noted that Wilson’s official visit to Arkansas has long been rumored to be in the works and he even announced plans for one last month, only to postpone them at the last minute. The reasoning, according to his father, was because the Razorbacks were playing an exhibition in Fort Worth that Friday night – but the event was scheduled long before Wilson tweeted about his visit.
All of that is to say it remains to be seen whether or not the visit will actually happen. If it does, though, Arkansas figures to have at least a puncher’s chance given Calipari’s reputation as a recruiter.
Of course, the 6-foot-9 forward has far more suitors than just the Razorbacks. Kentucky remains the favorite to land Wilson’s services, with Hogville’s Kevin McPherson reporting his NIL offer from the Wildcats is up to $2.2 million – about double what reports out of Kentucky had the Atlanta native originally being offered.
That’s a huge number for any college player, no less an incoming freshman. It’s one Arkansas will probably have to at least come close to matching if it’s accurate, but the figure even as a ballpark reflects why he’s so valued and ranked No. 5 nationally.
Wilson is a monster in the paint, both as a rebounder and finisher around the rim. Among the other big men Arkansas is pursuing, there’s an argument to be made that he will be the most college-ready from a physicality and strength standpoint from the day he steps on a college campus.
He’s got solid touch from the perimeter as well, but he’ll need to continue to develop his lateral quickness and reaction time as a perimeter defender if he wants to be a versatile option at the next level.
It sounds like Wilson won’t make a final decision during the early signing period, which could be good or bad news for the Razorbacks.
On one hand, it gives them more time to make up ground against Kentucky. On the other, though, that means he’s unlikely to get swept up in the excitement of his visit this weekend and sign with the Razorbacks.
That scenario isn’t impossible, but right now, it certainly seems like the Wildcats are in the driver’s seat for Wilson. In fact, on the same day as news of his visit to Arkansas broke, he might have tipped his hand by doing an extensive sit-down interview with the folks at Kentucky Sports Radio – and retweeting the post about it:
For all of those reasons, Best of Arkansas Sports gives the Razorbacks about a 25% chance of landing Wilson.
Here’s how we see their chances with other top remaining targets…
Chris Cenac Jr.
Link Academy (Branson, Mo.)
6-foot-10 | F | No. 6 in 247Sports Composit
BoAS Prediction: 65% chance to be a Razorback
Cenac recently wrapped up a visit to LSU after visiting Arkansas in mid-October. His recruitment has a near 50/50, coin flip feel between the Hogs and Tigers at the moment. Head coach John Calipari and a substantial NIL fund give the Hogs a few key talking points to give them a potential edge over the Tigers.
The Hogs reportedly gained some ground in this recruitment during Cenac’s visit to campus, and Calipari certainly seems to be on a warpath to land at least one elite forward/big man in the 2025 class. The New Orleans native looks to be the most likely candidate.
You also have to feel good when recruits make social media posts like this:
Cenac has not yet officially announced a decision date, but a decision could come before or during the early signing period, which begins Wednesday and lasts for a week, though that’s not a guarantee.
The young prospect has great mobility and ball-handling ability for someone his size. He’s not quite the playmaker with the ball in his hands as someone like Kevin Durant or even former Calipari product Bam Adebayo, but he’s capable of putting the ball on the deck against slower defenders or even in the occasional pick-and-roll where he’s the ball-handler.
Cenac has a soft touch in the paint that looks somewhat at odds with his aggressive, dunk-first nature. He has great instincts and timing as a rebounder and shot-blocker, as well as fluid mobility at 6-foot-10 that combine to make him an elite collegiate prospect.
Isaiah Sealy
Springdale High (Springdale, Ark.)
6-foot-7 | F | No. 70 in 247Sports Composite
BoAS Prediction: 60% chance to be a Razorback
Sealy cut his list of schools down to four late last month, including Arkansas in the final cut alongside Ole Miss, Boston College and Cal. He has not yet been on an official visit to Fayetteville, though he has visited the Rebels – another member of his final four schools.
Reports indicate that Sealy has been present for an unofficial visit for part of Arkansas’ preparation for their scrimmage against Kansas, as well as for the actual preseason exhibition.
Sealy is one of the lower rated recruits left on Calipari’s radar for the 2025 class, but with the Hall of Famer’s new strategy of taking 10 or fewer high-profile players and filling out his roster with walk-on or project type players, it’s very possible that Sealy fills that role.
He’s ranked a bit higher than some of the non-NIL freshmen Calipari took in his 2024 recruiting haul to fill out the bottom of his roster, but it’s also worth remembering how little time he had to actually build his first roster at Arkansas. Players like Sealy that have future upside and potential could be much better candidates to fill out the back-end of the Razorback roster as true freshmen and sticking around for a couple of seasons.
The 6-foot-7 wing is somewhat of a raw prospect in terms of honing in his intangibles. Sealy can certainly get to his spots offensively, usually all the way to the rim or at the very least the paint, and he has the size to get his shots off when he gets there.
His shooting form is not the most fundamentally sound and starts a tad low to be shooting over SEC-level athletes, but it’s a serviceable shot that can get him by as a slasher/playmaker from the wing position as he continues to develop.
Sealy’s ability to grow as a spot-up shooter alongside other good playmakers, become a more physical rebounder and improve as a defender will determine if he’s able to become a meaningful factor on a high-level collegiate team, though the capability is all there.
Nate Ament
Highland School (Warrenton, Va.)
6-foot-9 | F | No. 4 in 247Sports Composite
BoAS Prediction: 40% chance to be a Razorback
Ament has previously been on official visits to Texas, Louisville and Tennessee, according to On3.com, as well as taking a visit to Notre Dame this past weekend. He still reportedly has a visit scheduled with Kansas State as well, but nothing set in stone for visiting Fayetteville.
However, Calipari and his staff have been to visit or watch Ament play in person on more than one occasion, most recently on Nov. 5, according to Travis Branham.
Ament is far from a Razorback lock, but it appears that Calipari would be open to pairing him alongside another forward like Chris Cenac Jr. or Caleb Wilson, allowing Ament to be a playmaker of sorts. The versatile forward is not expected to make an official decision before the early signing period.
Standing at 6-foot-9, Ament has exceptional shooting and playmaking potential as a stretch forward. He’s not overly quick as a ball handler, but definitely comfortable having the ball in his hands and reading the defense as a passer or shot maker.
During his first season at Highland School, Ament averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 3.7 assists per game as a junior while shooting a respectable percentage from distance. He’s capable of being a difference maker as a mismatch against either forward position with his combination of height and playmaking ability, so long as he continues to develop muscle mass as he transitions to the next level.
Shon Abaev
Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
6-foot-8 | G/F | No. 24 in 247Sports Composite
BoAS Prediction: 40% chance to be a Razorback
The top-30 national recruit – and likely soon-to-be five-star – took a midweek visit to Arkansas in mid-October.
Shortly after, Abaev cut his list of potential collegiate options down to five, with Arizona State being perhaps the most notable outside of Arkansas in terms of where the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native might ultimately end up. He has already taken a visit to Arizona State, as well as Oregon which also made his top five list. The list was rounded out with Auburn and Cincinnati.
With his 6-foot-8 frame and versatile playmaking ability from the wing, it’s likely that Calipari could be making a decision between Abaev and Ament.
The latter is perhaps more of a true power forward with good playmaking ability, while Abaev could draw comparisons closer to point forwards like former Razorback Anthony Black.
Abaev has tremendous ball handling ability for his size and pairs it very well with long-range shooting ability, most impressively as an off-the-bounce shooter.
He’s capable of getting all the way to the rim or pulling up over smaller defenders with his combination of length and quickness, but it will be his ability to adapt to a lesser role at the collegiate – and, more specifically, SEC if he chooses the Hogs – level that will determine how impactful he can truly be.
Miikka Muurinen
Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.)
6-foot-10 | F | No. 12 in 247Sports Composite (2026)
BoAS Prediction: less than 10% chance to be a Razorback
It’s difficult to give Arkansas too high of a chance to land Muurinen in the 2025 class right now because he’s technically still a 2026 prospect. However, there have been rumblings of him potentially reclassifying.
Arkansas would presumably be firmly in the mix for the Finnish standout if he does jump ahead to 2025 because he took an official visit to Fayetteville in September. He also officially visited Michigan and Utah this fall, but is being pursued by many other top-notch programs.
Not only does Muurinen have great size and skill, but he also has excellent bloodlines. Both of his parents played professional basketball and were members of Finland’s national team, while his mother, Jenni Laaksonen, played collegiately at North Carolina.
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More on the Caleb Wilson battle between Arkansas and Kentucky:
More coverage of Arkansas basketball and Arkansas recruiting from BoAS…
