Projecting Arkansas Players Staying, Leaving After 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket Loss
The first year of the John Calipari era at Arkansas has concluded with a loss in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 men's NCAA tournament.
Expectations were a bit higher for the Razorbacks, who escaped the bubble late in the season and landed a No. 10 seed for March Madness. They ultimately provided a surge of optimism, advancing to the second weekend before falling to Texas Tech. While the Sweet 16 is positive result after an up-and-down season, a late-game collapse ends the year on a sour note while shifting into offseason mode.
There will be changes, of course, but certainly not as dramatic as last year.
Calipari and his coaching staff have assembled a top-five recruiting class and should keep a few notable pieces in 2025-26.
Who's Staying
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Such a complicated answer for a simple question.
NBA scouts and executives have certainly been keeping an eye on Arkansas, hoping for some recent top recruits to truly impress. That never quite happened for the Razorbacks this season.
As a result, it's plausible Arkansas brings back DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III. Each of them averaged 17-plus minutes and five-plus points and would be the foundation of a retooled roster.
Three more key players are eligible to stay, but more on them below.
Who's Leaving
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Without question, the ideal outcome for Arkansas this offseason is not needing to replace the entire core of the 2024-25 roster.
But it might happen.
The latest NBA mock draft from B/R's Jonathan Wasserman includes freshman guard Boogie Fland sneaking into the opening round as the 27th overall pick. Top scorer Adou Thiero (45th) and starting center Zvonimir Ivisic (55th) are listed as second-round selections, as well.
In addition, at least Brazile and Wagner are on the NBA scouting radar. They may decide to participate in the pre-draft process, as Brazile did in 2024.
Outgoing transfers are always a possibility, too.
Who's on the Way
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You're not going to believe this, but there are 5-stars in Coach Cal's future.
Within a three-man signing class, guards Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. both earned that vaunted billing. They are ranked 10th and 12th overall, respectively, in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Rounding out Arkansas' fourth-rated haul is 4-star guard Isaiah Sealy, who's the highest-ranked in-state prospect.
It's safe to assume Calipari will be scouring the transfer market, too. Even excluding last offseason when a handful of Kentucky players and commits followed him to Arkansas, Calipari has made a habit of utilizing the portal.
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