Arkansas Basketball: Why Johnell Davis is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

Everything has changed at Arkansas in this past offseason. The recent history was certainly bright, as Eric Musselman had three deep postseason runs with the Razorbacks, though the future may be just as bright. Longtime Kentucky head coach John Calipari made the surprising move to join the program and has his eyes set on higher heights at Arkansas in the coming years, especially after last year’s disappointing season.

Arkansas actually finished below .500 last season, though the roster will look largely different this coming year. The big returning piece for Calipari is forward Trevon Brazile, a Missouri transfer who has showed potential. Aside from that, it’s largely a new roster, with former stars Khalif Battle, Tramon Mark, and Makhi Mitchell among the long list of departures. The Razorbacks had more than half a dozen players depart via the Transfer Portal but certainly used that tool to reload.

First and foremost, Calipari and his staff focused their energies and brought along several players from Lexington. The three players, all underclassmen, including 7-foot center Zvonimir Ivisic, forward Adou Thiero, and former freshman poit guard DJ Wagner Jr. Outside of that, the Razorbacks also landed two of the most prominent players in the entire Portal. One of those was Jonas Aidoo, a gifted and talented center who starred at Tennessee in recent years.

The other major addition is Johnell Davis, a shooting guard who has starred at Florida Atlantic in recent years. Originally native to northwest Indiana, Davis was a role player as an underclassman before settling into a sixth man role during his junior year. That prominence came as the Owls advanced all the way to the Final Four in 2023. Last season as a senior Davis took another profound step forward, averaging 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, winning AAC Player of the Year honors in the process.

Davis played an important role for Florida Atlantic as a scorer, shooter, rebounder, and all-around weapon. He was prominent during that Final Four run and was even better in a less successful final season in Boca Raton. While there’s certainly a jump from the AAC to SEC, we’ve seen Davis play inspired basketball at the highest level and he should shine in this Arkansas offense, becoming the prominent and veteran force in the backcourt.

The thing is that building a roster using freshmen and transfers can work out great or it can backfire. The former coaching staff perfected this strategy and the Razorbacks excelled in recent years, but last year’s 16-17 finish was clearly an indication of the other side. Landing Davis was humongous for a winning offseason for Calipari and company and there’s certainly a starting five here that can win games. You just have to wonder how quickly this team gels and if there’s enough experience in this lineup.

There should be just four upperclassmen in Arkansas’s rotation and you have to wonder how these new players will meld together. Calipari has been king at landed elite freshmen, but that may not be how you win in college basketball anymore. Is there the right mix of talent in Fayetteville for a return to prominence? Will Davis be able to live up to very high expectations in his final season of eligibility?