5-Star Obinna Ekezie Reverses Course as Hogs Eye Center from SEC Rival with Dicey Future

Even without Aday and Mara, though, Michigan should be just fine. Before the arrival of Reed, the Wolverines brought in Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella (6-11, 240) and signed top-30 recruit and McDonald’s All-American Quinn Costello (6-10, 195) as a stretch-4.

That’s given Calipari plenty of ammo for the old-school tactic of arguing Ekezie would be in line for much more playing time in Arkansas’ barren frontcourt.

Of course, he’ll also have to use some new-age methods by upping the ante when it comes to revenue share and NIL because BYU and Louisville — a couple of heavy spenders — are now actively trying to swoop in and get him to visit.

Calipari will have to work his magic, and his money, to seal the deal.

Handlogten Emerges as Portal Target

Bidding wars aren’t really John Calipari’s cup of tea, but the Hall of Famer has proven he’s willing to play ball with top-tier high school talent. He showed that with Jordan Smith Jr. and is doing it again with Obinna Ekezie Jr.

As we saw with Somto Cyril heading to Miami (Fla.) for a reported $4 million, though, that doesn’t extend to the transfer portal — much to the chagrin of a fan base hungry for an elite big man.

Those fans, however, overlooked Calipari’s creativity behind the scenes.

BoAS has learned that the Razorbacks have made a strong push for Micah Handlogten, the 7-foot-1, 260-pound center who started his career at Marshall before playing the last three years at Florida behind three extraordinarily talented bigs. It’s possible the trio he sat behind may stick around for a last hurrah in the 2026-27 season after Thomas Haugh announced he was returning to college (and giving up enough NBA money to almost certainly warrant a Florida payout of at least $8 million).  

In most previous years, the prospect of another year’s worth of a frontcourt logjam wouldn’t matter to Handlogten. He’s technically used up his college eligibility, after all. 

However, similar to Malique Ewin, he has submitted a waiver to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. While Ewin’s case hinges on his lone season of JUCO ball, a la Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, Handlogten’s argument centers on the broken leg he suffered in the 2024 SEC Tournament.

The gruesome injury, in which he broke his tibia and fibula, was originally expected to cause him to redshirt in 2024-25, but he opted to return to the court in mid-February when the Gators suffered a couple of frontcourt injuries.

Handlogten ended up playing 16 games, but nine of those came in the postseason as Florida won the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. That means he played in just seven of the Gators’ 31 regular-season games, which falls below the 30% mark required to receive a medical hardship.

The sticking point, though, is that the NCAA stipulates it must have been a season-ending injury suffered in the first half of the season. In Handlogten’s case, he got hurt the previous season and ended up playing down the stretch.

Traditionally, that would not qualify for a medical hardship. But we live in an era when eligibility constraints are merely a social construct and subject to interpretation by lawyers and judges.

Of course, there’s also a chance the “5-for-5” rule passes next month and the true senior will receive that extra year without even needing a waiver.

Because of those uncertainties, Calipari doesn’t have much competition when it comes to Handlogten’s recruitment. In theory, he could get him signed, sealed and delivered before most schools realize he’s a viable option, eliminating the need for a bidding war.

What It Means for Arkansas Basketball

If all of this goes according to plan, the Razorbacks would end up with a high-ceiling freshman capable of being a one-and-done in Obinna Ekezie Jr. and a veteran big man with SEC and national championship experience in Micah Handlogten.

While Handlogten’s stats at Florida don’t exactly jump off the page, they deserve some context.

Click to Reveal

He hasn’t been asked to play a ton of minutes the last three years because of the incredible frontcourt Todd Golden has built in Gainesville.

Haugh was a projected lottery pick before his surprise decision to return to school, Alex Condon is a two-time All-SEC selection and Rueben Chinyelu was the NABC National Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Handlogten’s 4.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks this year came in just 14.8 minutes per game. When you look at his per-40 averages, which factors in playing time, his production has actually remained pretty consistent regardless of how much he’s on the floor:

Click to Reveal

Arkansas needs the North Carolina native’s size and strength more than anything. But throw in his experience as part of a team that won the national championship in 2025 and earned a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as the regular-season SEC champion in 2026, and he appears to be the perfect complement to a youngster like Ekezie.

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$8 Million+ for Thomas Haugh?!

Yes. And the reasoning is sound. More starting at the 40-second mark here:

More coverage of Arkansas basketball from BoAS…