5. Arkansas Razorbacks
Head coach Eric Musselman has been known as the king of the transfer portal but recently, he and Arkansas have been dominating the high school recruiting trail. Last year, the program landed three five-star prospects, including Anthony Black, Jordan Walsh, and top-5 overall combo guard, Nick Smith.
Smith ultimately didn’t play up to expectations but that wasn’t on Musselman or Arkansas due to him simply not being healthy for 90% of the season. But the program could be landing the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class soon, as former Texas commit, Ron Holland, is reportedly being linked to the program.
Imagine the Razorbacks finding a way to land back-to-back No. 1 prospects. That would put them in true upper-tier status in NCAA Basketball. But part of the issue I have with the program is that between now and the start of the 2024-25 season, there are simply too many unknowns at the moment.
The team has added five backcourt transfers this offseason, with only El Ellis and Jeremiah Davenport guaranteed to leave after next year. They have Keyon Menifield, Houston transfer Tramon Marl and potentially Temple transfer Khalif Battle if he opts to come back for an extra year.
What is concerning isn’t that Johnson wouldn’t start or get a big role but who knows who else Coach Musselman could add and whether it’s a good fit for him when he arrives there. Compared to the other options, there’s a bit more risk with the Razorbacks.