João Calipari and Arkansas basketball added another player through the transfer portal over Memorial Day weekend in former Kentucky guard DJ Wagner.
According to multiple reportsWagner committed to his former Wildcats coach after entering the transfer portal in mid-April. He only visited Arkansas and USC.
Wagner, a three-time 2023-24 SEC Freshman of the Week and member of the All-SEC Freshman Team, will join two former Kentucky players — Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic — and three recruits who switched their commitments from the Wildcats to the Razorbacks .
Here’s everything you need to know about Wagner as he moves to the Razorbacks, including his stats, 247Sports rankings and more:
DJ Wagner Statistics in Kentucky
Wagner has played in 29 games for Kentucky basketball, starting 28, in 2023-24. During that time, he averaged 9.9 points per game on 40.9% shooting (29.2% from 3). He also averaged 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats, totaling 24 steals and five blocks on the year.
His highest scoring game of the year was a 28-point game against Marshall on November 24, 2023, although arguably his best game was an 18-point, 10-assist double-double against Georgia on January 10. 13 games with double-digit scoring and two games with at least 20 points.
DJ Wagner 247 rating
Wagner entered the transfer portal in April and immediately became one of the best players available. According to the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, the four-star transfer is considered the Transfer player #38 and combo guard No. 4.
He ranked highest at Camden (New Jersey) High School, where he was not only ranked as the 6th player in the country in the 2023 recruiting class, but also the No. 1 combo guard in the country. He chose Calipari and the Wildcats over Kenny Payne and Louisville. He will reunite with both at Arkansas following Calipari’s hiring of Payne as an assistant.
Arkansas basketball recruiting rankings
-
Recruits: No. 6 nationally | #3 SECOND
-
Transfer: No. 1 nationally | #1 SECOND
-
General: No. 3 nationally | #2 SECOND
With Wagner’s reported commitment to Arkansas, the Razorbacks now have one of the best classes in the country in 2024, not only for high school recruiting but also through the transfer portal. Wagner is Arkansas’ fifth transfer after Calipari.
The team also added Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis and Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo, teams that reached the Final Four in 2023 and the Elite Eight in 2024, respectively.
Calipari also secured flip commitments from three five-star recruits in Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond.
This article originally appeared in the Fort Smith Times Record: DJ Wagner following John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas: reports
