After a solid freshman season for the University of Kentucky, D.J. Wagner will have a new home next season. One of the top guards to emerge from New Jersey over the past decade, Wagner will follow John Calipari to Arkansas out of the transfer portal.
In his only season at Kentucky, Wagner averaged 9.9 points and 3.3 assists per game. He was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and was a member of the All-SEC team. While. Wagner now has to adjust to a new team; he will not be the only player with Kentucky ties on the roster.
Wagner, a consensus five-star recruit, could have been an interesting fit at Rutgers. But Arkansas is a stronger pathway to playing time given how deep the Rutgers backcourt is currently.
Wagner will be joining two former Wildcats in Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic. Since Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas, three players entered the transfer portal after Calipari left Kentucky for a new program.
DJ Wagner has committed to Arkansas, per @ArRecruitingGuy pic.twitter.com/n52T1SYSIo
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) May 27, 2024
As Wagner looks to take his game to the next level, he will have a head coach to rely on who he is comfortable with. Even though Wagner struggled at times last year, Calipari continued to give him chances. Towards the end of the season, he rewarded his coach’s faith, scoring at least 10 points in three of his final six games.
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In that span, Wagner made 10 three-pointers.
In his first year with Arkansas, Wagner will need to be consistent as with Kentucky, he struggled to score at times. In the first round of March Madness, Wagner did not score a point in Kentucky’s 80-76 loss to Oakland.
If he can take a developmental leap in his second season in the SEC, then Wagner could be a very good fit with Arkansas.