re: Arkansas Basketball 2025 (and beyond) Recruiting Thread **F Karim Rtail Commits**

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Arkansas got another baseball kid thats going to be better than gage wood.

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Darius Acuff Jr., the top-ranked point guard for the class of 2025 by three services, signed a National Letter of Intent with Arkansas, Razorback head coach John Calipari announced.

Darius Acuff Jr.
6-2, 180, G
Detroit, Mich. || IMG Academy (Fla.)
X – @DariusAcuff • Instagram – @dariusacuff5

High School:

Listed 12th on the 2026 NBADraft.net Mock Draft and 14th on NBADraftRoom.com.
2024-25 Preseason MaxPreps 2nd team All-America.
#11 on the USA TODAY High School Sports basketball rankings: Top 15 players in the 2025 class.
2023-24 MaxPreps honorable mention All-America and second team Junior All-America.
As a junior, averaged 20.4 points and 5.5 assists per game for IMG Academy, helping the Ascenders post a 20-9 record and rank sixth in the final MaxPreps poll.
Also in 2023-24, led all players with 21.4 scoring average while ranking second in assists (3.7 avg) in the 12 games of the EYBL Scholastic
Averaged 23.9 points and 3.6 assists for The Family in the 2024 Nike EYBL spring circuit.
Played at Cass Technical HS in Detroit before transferring to IMG Academy for his junior season.
As a sophomore, named the 2023 MaxPreps Michigan High School Basketball Player of the Year and second team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America.
• Averaged 21.4 points and 5.7 assists as a sophomore and led Cass Tech to the 2023 MHSAA Division 1 title.
TEAM USA:

2024 FIBA Men’s U18 AmeriCup: Tournament MVP and named to the All-Star Five … Led the USA to a gold medal … Averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists … In the championship game against Argentina, scored 26 points, had nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
2024 Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp.
2023 Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp.

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Arkansas earned its third signature in the 2025 class Saturday as in-state four-star Isaiah Sealy signed with the Razorbacks, the UA announced via press release. The No. 88 overall player in the 2025 class from just up the road in Springdale chose the Razorbacks over Boston College, Cal, and Ole Miss.

Sealy was re-offered by the new head coach John Calipari and his coaching staff over the summer during an impressive stretch on the EYBL Circuit and ultimately in the Peach Jam Invitational.

A 6-foot-7 wing from Springdale High School, Sealy pairs a next-level frame with plus athleticism and perimeter shooting. He joins five-stars Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas in the 2025 class for the Razorbacks. The Hogs' recruiting class ranked No. 5 nationally before the addition of Sealy.

With recent developments on the recruiting trail, the Arkansas is looking at the spring signing period for its next commitment(s), as the coaching staff is still heavily in pursuit of multiple top prospects.

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John Calipari and Arkansas basketball added another player to their 2025 recruiting class on Saturday afternoon. Isaiah Sealy, the top-rated player in the state of Arkansas, announced his commitment and signing, per an official release from the university.

The Springdale native is currently rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 70 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, according to the latest 247Sports recruiting ratings. He's also the 25th-ranked forward and No. 1 overall player in the cycle.

Arkansas beat out a final four consisting of Ole Miss, Boston College and California for Sealy's services. The 6-7, 194-pound wing also held offers from nine other schools including Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi State, Louisville and Virginia Tech among others.

HawgSports put in a Crystal Ball for Sealy's decision earlier Saturday morning was told the Springdale product is being brought in as more of a developmental player for 2025. That basically means he'll have a chance to earn minutes in the rotation but won't expected to contribute immediately while he continues to work on areas of his game. This is an approach Calipari used numerous times with in-state prospects during his Kentucky tenure.

247 Sports national recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins had a chance to evaluate Sealy during the Peach Jam this past summer:

"Sealy stuffed the stat-sheet with a calm demeanor," Jenkins said. "He knocked down a pair of threes spotting up, made smart drives for scores and was a factor on the glass. The final stat-line for him was 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists as his overall talent level was on full display."

Prior to Sealy's announcement, Arkansas' 2025 recruiting class was rated No. 17 in the country and No. 5 in the SEC. Sealy joins 5-star guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas as Razorback signees in the early signing period for this cycle.

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Isaiah Sealy, the No. 98 overall prospect in the class of 2025 is staying home and committing to Arkansas.

A 6-7, 195 pound forward from Springdale, Arkansas commits to Arkansas over Boston College, Cal, and Ole Miss.

"I chose Arkansas because It just felt like home," Sealy said. " After being at a couple practices and games with the coaching staff I saw what they do with freshman. The relationship they built with me is strong and they built a relationship with my family."

"Playing at home was also big for me," he continued. "It means a lot to be able to stay home and play for the state of Arkansas. During my recruitment process it wasn't my main goal to stay at home but I'm happy Im doing it. I'm close to family and I can't wait for it."

Sealy also was high on Coach Calipari's vision for him. He believes he will be able to use his versatility and thrive in the system.

"Coach Cal talked to me a lot on how I fit and their playing style," he said. "If I get the rebound he'll have me push in transition. He really thinks he can fit in their playing style and thrive."

When it comes to what he brings to the table, he knows what Arkansas fans can expect.

"Fans can expect me to come in and play hard. I'm definitely going to put on a show and turn Fayetteville up."

"As an individual I just want to get better as an individual," he continued. "That's what I loved about the coaching staff. I believe they can get me better as a team while winning championships."

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The City of Palms Classic is a six-day tournament, and showcase, featuring some of the top high school teams and prospects in the country. Now in its 51st year, the event is always a highlight of a busy week of holiday events just before Christmas.

All of the talk going into this year's event was about whether or not Darryn Peterson had leapfrogged Cameron Boozer to become one of the two best prospects in the national senior class of 2025. Boozer responded, as he seemingly always does, with a championship, as he and his Columbus High School squad took Monday night's championship with a win over Montverde.

Boozer went for 14 points and 7 rebounds in the final after putting up 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in a 77-71 win over IMG in the semifinals, in a game in which Darius Acuff had 27 points and 8 assists. When it was all said and done, Boozer and Acuff shared the tournament MVP honors.

In there lies one of the biggest takeaways of the week – while we debate the order of Dybantsa, Boozer, and Peterson, it is becoming abundantly clear that any conversation about the best high school basketball player in the country, is incomplete unless Darius Acuff is included. Through four games in Fort Myers, Acuff averaged 32 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and just 1 turnover per game on 52% shooting from the floor, 44% shooting from three, and 76% from the free-throw line.

Beyond the sheer number, it was his second half heroics that led IMG to comeback wins over Faith Family Academy and La Lumiere in the opening two rounds of the event. He put the team on his back, made huge shots in various moments, and did it from different spots on the floor. Beyond that, he looks great physically, powerful and exceptionally fit. He's more engaged defensively than we've seen him previously. Offensively, while he's scoring the ball with efficiency and volume alike, he's also trusting his teammates more, passing out of double-teams, and simultaneously taking exceptional care of the basketball.

This wasn't just a good week either. Two weeks earlier, at the National High School Hoops Festival, it was almost an identical story. Acuff went for 27 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds against Paul VI. IMG actually lost that game, but that was largely because Acuff fouled out with two minutes left and the Ascenders. That event featured three of the top five ranked point guards in the country, and it was clear coming out of it that Acuff was in a class all by himself.

With four evaluations now in the books this week, Acuff has taken it a step further and shown he's been as consistently dominant as any high school player in the country this year.

So let's be clear, Peterson has had a terrific start to his senior season at Prolific Prep, going on the road and delivering huge performances against both Dybantsa and Boozer. He may very well play his way into the top two, but this isn't a conversation with just three players in it. Acuff has been as good as anyone to start the year and made it clear that he belongs in any conversation about who the top high school basketball player in the country is. More than that, the Arkansas pledge looks fully prepared to be the next great guard to play for John Calipari.

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