Hogs Hope to Land 5-Star Point Guard Over Huskies, Jayhawks

Calipari's efforts in recruiting show with Acuff high on Arkansas

Darius Acuff Jr. of IMG Academy takes a shot against Richmond Heights in the City of Palms Classic on Wednesday at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. / Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas is now one step closer to landing coveted 2025 5-star point guard prospect Darius Acuff. He is the No. 7 prospect and best player at his position by On3's Industry Ranking.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Darius Acuff, the No. 1 ranked point guard in the 2025 class, is down to four schools, he tells @On3Recruits. https://t.co/K5N07Od5m3 pic.twitter.com/z1KHyXzYf0

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 28, 2024

Razorbacks coach John Calipari planted the recruiting seed at Kentucky. The Wildcats were likely leaders in Acuff's recruitment early on, but no reported interest from either party was announced with Mark Pope at the helm.

Acuff visited the Hogs in May and are perceived leaders. Several national reporters predict him to land at Arkansas after he takes his visits.

Kansas appeared to zeroing in on Acuff throughout the past few weeks. However, his recruitment has trended in the opposite direction.

Two-time defending national champions, UConn, could possibly be threats to crash the party for the consensus No. 1 point guard. The Huskies brand is strong as ever but seem to have sights set on small forward Meleek Thomas -- also an Arkansas target-- as it's top prospect for 2025.

Coach Dan Hurley's program hosted Acuff along with 4-star shooting guard Acaden Lewis this weekend for official visits. Winning at a high level resonates with top prospects which will make the next few months very interesting for Calipari and Arkansas.

Acuff is everything teams want in a point guard at the college level. He has a great feel for the floor, limits turnovers and is a consistent scoring threat at all levels.

His game will translate well to the next level due to his physicality on defense and ability to spread the floor which helps his teammates get open. During international play, the 6-2 guard dominated international competition with 18 points per game along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal over six games. He shot an efficient 47% from the field.

In a victory over Belize, Acuff was electric in only 13 minutes of action. He scored 23 points (9-12FGs) and dished 5 assists during America’s 96-point victory. 

HOGS FEED:

• Stage set for Razorbacks to have November to remember — or forget

• Calipari heads to European-Asian border looking for Razorbacks

• Former Razorback shines in semifinal of U.S. Olympic trials

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