Arkansas State will be getting his services, after he also visited Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Ford played sparingly for the Razorbacks as a freshman, and even though he originally indicated he would return, he ultimately ended up in the portal.
The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in the state, who won three state titles for Magnolia, may be following a similar path to Desi Sills, who also ended up at Arkansas State for a year after transferring from Arkansas.
Sills is now at Kansas State, and helped lead the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2023.
Many SEC schools are looking at the former Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year.
Derrian Ford is one of the victims of Eric Musselman’s new plan to bring in transfers and allow his players from his excellent recruiting class to skate.
Ford has been heavily on social media, showcasing his workouts and the long list of schools interested in bringing his talents to their campus. Some schools lost players in the past to Musselman and the Hogs, most notably Trevon Brazile from Missouri.
Where Ford goes should be on the radar for Musselman and fans of the Hogs because he obviously has a chip on his shoulder. The way Musselman has ruled out the young guys during this roster overhaul left a sour taste for everyone across the board.
Arkansas basketball just lost another player from last year’s historic recruiting class to the transfer portal.
After previously announcing his intentions to return to Fayetteville for a sophomore season, Arkansas guard [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag] has changed his mind and is entering the transfer portal. The Magnolia native announced his decision via Twitter on Thursday morning.
Ford arrived in Fayetteville last season as part of the No. 2 recruiting class in the country. He was a two-time 4A Arkansas Player of the Year in high school and led Magnolia High School to three state titles.
In his lone season with the Razorbacks, Ford never got the opportunity to showcase his talent, as he struggled to crack into a very crowded backcourt rotation. He played in 21 games and recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 80 minutes of playing time total last season.
With Ford’s departure, [autotag]Joseph Pinion[/autotag] is the only player from last season’s historic recruiting class remaining on the roster. The Razorbacks now have a full allotment of scholarships, but two roster spots could open up once [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] announce their intentions to stay in the NBA Draft process.
Arkansas Basketball’s record-breaking 2022 signing class got more great news on Wednesday, as Nick Smith Jr was listed as the top player in the class.
Arkansas Basketball head coach [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag] has had plenty to celebrate this year. He recently led his squad to their second-straight Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is bringing in one of the top signing classes in the nation for the 2022 recruiting cycle.
“It’s cool, I mean I’ve never really been the No. 1 player in the nation before,” Smith said to 247Sports. “It’s been a good journey for me to show my talent on the court and it is definitely a blessing to see somebody think that I’m the No. 1 player in the class.”
What makes Smith the No. 1 player in the country? Eric Bossi of 247sports explains:
Today’s game dictates that guards must be capable of generating their own offense. Whether it be out of pick and roll action, with a shot clock winding down or just a situation where guy needs to go and make a play, if a guard can’t generate offense on their own, their ceiling will be limited. Smith can do all of that and he does it with an electric first step, bounce at the rim and some flair.
Joining Smith in the 247sports top-150 list, are the remaining four members of Arkansas’ record-breaking signing class. [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag] (14), [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] (19), [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag] (69), [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag] (126),[autotag]Joseph Pinion[/autotag] (142).
Two gems of the 2022 recruiting class have been named All-Americans by Sports Illustrated
Two of the gems in the 2022 signing class for Arkansas Basketball have garnered national attention, yet again.
[autotag]Nick Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag], two five-star signees that will join the Razorbacks next season, have been named All-Americans by Sports Illustrated.
Smith was named first-team All-American by the publication, while Walsh earned third-team honors.
Here’s why Smith was named first-team All-American, according to Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated:
Smith dominated the competition all summer running with Brad Beal Elite (Mo.) then carried that over to the high school season, posting 26 points, seven assists, and six rebounds a game for North Little Rock (Ark.). Smith capped off his high school finale with a state title, posting 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the win. Smith was the best player during practices at the McDonald’s All-American games, a telling feat for what is widely regarded as the most competitive practices of the year.
Link Academy’s Jordan Walsh (23) drives to the basket during the second half of the GEICO Nationals semifinal between Prolific Prep (Calif.) and Link Academy (Mo.), Friday, April 1, 2022, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.Link Academy defeated Prolific Prep 59-53.
GEICO Nationals 2022: Prolific Prep (Calif.) vs. Link Academy (Mo.) semifinal, April 1, 2022
Jordan believes that Walsh has everything that you want in a player:
Walsh is a highly productive wing that checks off many boxes on and off the stat sheet. This season, he led Link Academy (34-2) to the GEICO Nationals title game, averaging 11 points, seven rebounds, 3.2 assists and one block a game. At 6’7”, Walsh has great length and agility, making him a capable defender at multiple positions and rebounder.
Currently, Arkansas has the 2nd best recruiting class for the 2022 cycle. Joining Smith and Walsh in the class are five star [autotag]Anthony Black[/autotag], four-stars [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Barry Dunning[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Pinion[/autotag] from high school, as well as [autotag]Trevon Brazile[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag], [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag], and [autotag]Makhel Mitchell[/autotag] from the transfer portal.
Arkansas basketball is ESPN’s preseason No. 1 team even if Jaylin Williams doesn’t return.
The algorithms at ESPN didn’t much care for the Razorbacks this season. The Mothership’s Basketball Power Index had predicted to go below .500 in SEC play. Instead, the Hogs finished top-three in the league and made a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament than any other team in the conference.
That’s even working under the assumption sophomore forward [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] doesn’t return and instead chooses pro basketball. He announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft on Monday, but chose not to hire an agent, leaving open a possibility of heading back to Fayetteville.
Arkansas will enter the season with the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, led by potential No. 1 overall pick [autotag]Nick Smith[/autotag] at guard and two other McDonald’s All-Americans in wings [autotag]Jordan Walsh[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrian Ford[/autotag].
