Five star guard Dario Acuff Jr., is one of the most prolific scorers in the country and has a long and extensive list of scholarship offers. It has recently narrowed its focus to include just four options, however, as Kansas, Arkansas, UConn It is Michigan are the only programs remaining in the race to secure his commitment.
Today, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy ranks candidates to hire Acuff, who has not yet set a commitment date but could leave the board in the near future.
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1. ARKANSAS
Kentucky was considered one of the leaders who brought Acuff back when João Calipari was coaching the Wildcats, and the work the celebrated head coach did to forge a bond with Acuff and his family appears to have transferred seamlessly to Arkansas.
Acuff’s May visit to Fayetteville went well and appears to have put Calipari and his new program in the driver’s seat in recruiting the leading volume scorer.
There’s a lot of time for Michigan or Kansas to make a move here as no commitment date has been announced, but Arkansas fans should feel some serious optimism. The sooner the commitment comes, the better for the Hawgs.
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2. MICHIGAN
Considered the favorite before Juwan Howard was removed as head coach, Michigan still feels like an Acuff player as he continues to build a relationship with Dusty May and the new Wolverines team.
Acuff is a Detroit native who grew up watching Michigan and aspired to play for the program one day, but a coaching change at a crucial time in his recruitment helped open doors to other programs. Now it appears the state program has some serious work to do to get Acuff’s commitment.
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3. Kansas
Acuff’s trip to Lawrence in April appears to have given Kansas a punch in the five-star draft, but the Jayhawks are also on track with the No. 3 overall pick. Darryn Peterson, for those who are thought to lead. There is still plenty of time for Kansas to reposition itself in recruiting Acuff, but it appears the Jayhawks could prioritize Peterson if the situation becomes one or the other.
That said, Acuff was clearly intrigued by his official visit, so Self and company can’t be completely ruled out just yet. If Peterson’s interest fades in the future, KU could make an even stronger push for Acuff.
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4. UCONN
UConn appear to be the outsiders in the Acuff sweepstakes, which isn’t a huge deal considering the Huskies are the leaders in landing five-star guards. Maleek Thomas. It’s unlikely they can get both guards, and it looks like Acuff could be the one going elsewhere.
That said, stranger things have happened in recruiting and it’s hard to discount the defense of back-to-back national champions.
