NCAA Basketball: Top 25 impact freshmen classes for 2023-24 season

24. Arkansas Razorbacks

Last season, Arkansas had a top-3 overall recruiting class, thanks to a trio of five-star prospects. Although Nick Smith was hurt throughout the year, Anthony Black ended up being the star of the group, eventually getting drafted in the top 10 of the recent draft.

And to Coach Musselman’s credit, he has two more top-30 recruits joining the fold. Layden Blocker is one of the top ball-handlers in the 2023 class and is a quality playmaker, while Baye Fall is a 6’11 forward prospect and rated a five-star. He’s fairly raw in his development but is an athlete that can defend and rebound at a high level.

The reason why the Razorback duo is down so far is due to how many transfers were brought in. The SEC team added five backcourt transfers, as well as bringing back Devo Davis to the backcourt. So there’s a chance that Blocker falls toward the end of the depth chart.

And the same thing with Ball, who may not be ready for big minutes. With Trevon Brazile back from injury and the recent addition of Chandler Lawson, the frontcourt minutes could be an issue as well. Still, it’ll be hard not to find a role for these two newcomers.