The ESPN way-too-early Top 25 rankings for 2026-27 have gone through three versions now, and Arkansas is still in the mix.
That says something. Coach John Calipari’s team hasn’t land a perfect offseason, but the Razorbacks are still sitting at No. 11 in Jeff Borzello’s version 3.0 rankings and that’s with a backcourt that just took a hit.
The NBA Draft withdrawal deadline didn’t go entirely Arkansas’s way.
The Hogs had mixed results at the deadline, getting back Billy Richmond III but losing potential first-round guard Meleek Thomas. That’s a real blow to Calipari’s perimeter depth heading into next season.
But it’s not a program-altering setback, and here’s why.
Despite the Thomas departure, the Razorbacks still have elite incoming freshman Jordan Smith and high-scoring Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson to lead the way on the perimeter.
Richmond could also be poised for a big step forward. A backcourt anchored by Smith and Wilkinson, with Richmond developing alongside them, is still a formidable group to build around in the SEC.
What Borzello said about Calipari’s program
The bigger story for Arkansas is its recruiting class.
Like most Calipari teams, the success of this group will be determined by the incoming No. 1 recruiting class.
Smith is the headliner, but he’s joined by five-stars JaShawn Andrews and Abdou Toure as well as international five-star Miikka Muurinen.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see three of them starting. That’s a loaded group of freshmen, and it gives Calipari exactly the kind of raw talent he’s always been best at developing quickly.
Borzello’s long-running take on Arkansas hasn’t shifted much.
Calipari is still leaning into freshmen and still producing some of the best one-and-done prospects in college basketball.
hat’s been the model since Calipari arrived in Fayetteville, and the results of that strategy are becoming clearer as the roster takes shape.
Smith isn’t just a prospect. He’s the best guard in the 2026 high school class in some rankings and a high-level competitor with two-way ability. That’s the kind of player who changes a program’s ceiling.
Cooper Bowser, who averaged 13.8 points per game at Furman, rounds out the backcourt depth. That’s useful experience on a roster that’ll lean young in key spots.
Wilkinson’s 17.4 points per game at Georgia also gives this group a proven scorer who’s already performed at a high level in SEC play.
Arkansas’s spot in a stacked SEC landscape
Here’s where things get interesting from a conference standpoint. The SEC is sending teams to the top of these rankings in force, and Arkansas is right in the thick of it.
Arkansas sits at No. 11 in ESPN’s updated rankings, with Alabama at No. 15 and Kentucky jumping in at No. 17 with the addition of Milan Momcilovic. Vanderbilt and Missouri also made the cut at No. 19 and No. 21.
Tennessee made a big climb too. The Vols moved all the way to No. 6 in the latest update after being unranked when the original rankings dropped following Michigan’s national championship.
That means a significant chunk of the top half of this ranking is straight out of the SEC. Florida holds the No. 1 spot in Borzello’s latest rankings, and that’s the team the rest of the conference is chasing right now.
Kentucky crashes the party
The most notable development since version 2.0 was Kentucky’s arrival in the Top 25.
The Wildcats weren’t anywhere in Borzello’s previous update, but that changed fast. Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-27 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense.
Transfer guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are both dynamic off the dribble, and Momcilovic’s gravity and spacing will make them far more effective.
Malachi Moreno’s decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft was another massive boost — Moreno is a potential first-round pick at this time next season.
Before adding Momcilovic, Kentucky was left out of Borzello’s Top 25 altogether. Following the addition of ESPN’s No. 1 available transfer, the Wildcats jumped directly into the rankings at No. 17.
That’s a big swing in perception driven entirely by one commitment.
The road ahead for the Hogs
The Razorbacks aren’t done building.
Calipari’s track record shows his rosters keep evolving through late portal additions and reclassifications, so No. 11 isn’t necessarily the ceiling or the floor.
Calipari knows what type of player he needs to add for his team to advance past the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and probably won’t sleep a whole lot until he signs at least one major contributor in the paint.
That’s the honest assessment. The perimeter looks promising. The frontcourt question still needs answering.
Calipari has built programs out of tougher situations than this, though, and the talent level coming to Fayetteville this fall gives Arkansas every reason to believe it can be a legitimate SEC contender.
ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 — 2026-27, Version 3.0
- Florida
- Duke
- Michigan
- Illinois
- UConn
- Tennessee
- St. John’s
- Michigan State
- Texas
- Arizona
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- USC
- Louisville
- Virginia
- Alabama
- Houston
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Miami
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Iowa State
- Purdue
- BYU
