Can Arkansas, Calipari beat out Duke, land coveted recruit out of Virginia?
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There's not much good associated with anything Friday the 13th-related, but when it comes to Arkansas basketball recruiting, the Razorbacks could be in for a huge day. That's because consensus 5-star guard Jordan Smith, Jr.
is expected to announce his college decision, likely choosing between Arkansas and Duke, according to On3.While most recruiting experts have noted Arkansas and Duke are at the forefront, he did release a top six that also consisted of Kentucky, Syracuse, Indiana or Georgetown. The senior from basketball powerhouse Paul VI Catholic School has already received a slew of predictions to land with the Razorbacks from several basketball analysts along with Smith is considered to be the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports and has long been recruited by Razorbacks second-year coach John Calipari, even dating back to his time at Kentucky. The Razorbacks officially offered him in October of 2024 before taking an official visit to Fayetteville in September of last year. He is considered among the best perimeter defenders in his class with a projected upside as a shooter. He boasts the ability to get downhill quickly, attacking the basket and looking for contact for acrobatic finishes near the rim. Although he struggles at times to get his shot to fall, he still averages around 20 points per game against high school competition while regularly flourishing on the grassroots circuit.From Dajuan Wagner to Derrick Rose, John Wall, De'Aaron Fox, Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Malik Monk, Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro and many others, coach John Calipari has helped his college stars make millions. He is working wonders once again with true freshman point guard Darius Acuff, who has become the Razorbacks' do-it-all star on both ends of the court. His surge to becoming a potenial NBA Draft lottery selection is a big reason why Smith is being linked to Arkansas. Calipari has certainly made Smith feel like a priority, most recently dropping by the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions last week in Springfield, Mo. He is intrigued by the amount of "The position puts players in, his resume, it speaks for itself. It’s the best guard resume that I’ve ever seen. The work that he’s done with other people just draws my attention."Paul VI Panthers guard Jordan Smith prepares to shoot free throws during the third quarter of the City of Palms Classic first round game against the Garfield Heights Bulldogs at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Duke Blue Devils never backed down in Smith's recruitment, even with Deron Rippey in the fold to close the 2025 calendar year. Coach Jon Scheyer knew the combination of both Rippey and Smith would give his program one of the best young backcourts in the country. The Razorbacks have already signed a pair of 5-stars in Little Rock shooting guard JJ Andrews and two-time Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year in small forward Abdou Toure. Arkansas ranks No. 7 among SEC foes and No. 23 nationally in Should Calipari earn Smith's commitment, Arkansas would shoot up the ranking system to No. 1 in the SEC and No. 5 nationally with a score of 65.45.Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.
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