Calipari Needs to Rebuild Hogs' Relationship with Elite In-State Talent

Arkansas has starting five plus sixth man worth of ESPN 100 players in next two classes, plus more likely to be added soon

New Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari at press conference after introduction Wednesday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Let's call a spade a spade. Former Arkansas coach Eric Musselman didn't seem to care much for in-state players and as time went on, players from the Natural state didn't seem to care much for him either.

Other than Jaylin Williams, it's hard to recall a player from Arkansas who had a truly positive run with Musselman. Davonte Davis had a good run for a while, but even for the young man who thought of himself as Musselman's son, it became too much.

Most in-state players found themselves highly underutilized and underdeveloped. Then, when the time came, no matter how much they wanted to be a Razorback, that push out the door into the transfer would come.

There became what one could only describe as a level of mistrust with the Arkansas program among local recruits, leading to elite players looking elsewhere out of high school. That has led to what will be one of the biggest storylines of the John Calipari era once he finishes building his first roster from scratch.

The next two recruiting classes are loaded with local talent. The 2025 class features Springdale small forward Isaiah Sealy, ESPN's No. 54 player in the country, Marion power forward Terrion Burgess, the No. 71 player in the country, and Episcopal Collegiate point guard Kellen Robinson, the No. 95 player in the country.

In 2026, 5-star Little Rock Christian power forward JaShawn Andrews headlines as the No. 13 player, lengthy shooting guard Jacob Lanier of Maumelle drops in at No. 33, and Aiden Chronister, a small forward from Rogers rounds out the Top 60 with other potential Arkansas stars to be added once the list gets eventually extended from Top 60 to Top 100.

That's a lot of talent if Calipari can rebuild relationships and trust, especially in central Arkansas where the most damage seems to have been done over the past couple of years. The biggest things in Calipari's favor is he appears to have the patience to develop freshmen over multiple years if necessary and doesn't seem to be so anxious to stuff the roster with transfers.

He also has a reputation for developing strong bonds with his players. For the most part, Musselman was able to do that with players who were around for a year or two, but if a player stayed longer without jetting off to the pros, there seemed to be an automatic expiration date for when the relationship would sour.

It will take time and the growth of mutual interest between the program and recruits before fans will know if Arkansas is going to begin mining the local talent once again. If cared for properly, the Razorbacks can complement high level national talent with the state's own elite athletes to create the type of mix once seen under Nolan Richardson.

Local players from Arkansas, Memphis, Tulsa, Dallas and a sprinkle of national players from outside the fertile Razorbacks footprint can be a highly effective, long lasting formula. Come December, Hogs fans will have a good idea as to whether it's one that will be utilized again.

If so, Calipari has a lot of relationship building to do and Little Rock will be the most efficient first stop along with a couple of short drives from campus. Word tends to trickle out and spread pretty quick when it comes to high profile athletes in a small state, so whether that happens and how well it goes will be known sooner than later.

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