There’s significant momentum behind Arkansas Basketball following their appointment of former Kentucky coach John Calipari, fueled by strong booster support.
This energy is now extending to the recruiting trail as the Razorbacks begin assembling a competitive team for Calipari, including an eye-catching rumored commitment from Arkansas alum and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Reports circulating in a private Discord chat suggest that Jones has made an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) commitment to aid Calipari in enticing former UK commits to join him at Arkansas. According to the chatter, Jones’s proposal allegedly offers to double the NIL contributions that these recruits were initially promised by Kentucky to persuade them to switch their commitments to Arkansas.
The claim, highlighted by College Basketball Report on Twitter, states, “Jerry Jones is reportedly offering DOUBLE whatever the Kentucky commits were making to come to Arkansas, per @trillydonovan. Jerry Jones is an Arkansas booster and reportedly helped them hire John Calipari last week.”
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The specifics of how Jones would manage such a financial promise remain vague. It’s likely, however, that his contributions would be channeled through a collective supporting Razorbacks athletes, such as Athlete Advocate Consortium or Arkansas EDGE.
The exact figures involved are unclear since the initial NIL agreements with Kentucky are not publicly known, making it challenging to quantify what “double” would actually represent in this scenario.
Prior to his departure from Kentucky, Calipari secured the No. 2 recruiting class for 2024, according to On3’s Industry Basketball Team Recruiting Rankings. This roster included one five-star and five four-star prospects, though following the coaching change, only Travis Perry remains committed to Kentucky. The others, including Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond, and Somto Cyril, have all reopened their recruitments with both Kentucky and Arkansas as potential choices.
Moreover, the Razorbacks are also targeting former Wildcats in the transfer portal, having already signed Zvonimir Ivisic. Other players like DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Joey Hart are also in the portal and may consider joining Calipari at Arkansas.
These developments follow a pattern of significant financial backing from boosters such as John Tyson, who reportedly played a role in Arkansas’ decision to hire Calipari.
While the details of Jerry Jones’s supposed involvement remain unconfirmed, if true, this commitment from the Cowboys owner could represent a substantial investment in the future of Arkansas Basketball.