Arkansas men’s basketball and head coach John Calipari solidified the backcourt Sunday with the transfer commitment of coveted former Kentucky guard DJ Wagner.
The news, first reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, comes in the heels of Wagner’s official visit to Fayetteville earlier this month. He chose the Razorbacks over USC, Florida and other programs.
According to On3.com, Wagner was the top available point guard and the No. 51 overall player out of more than 2,000 entrants into the transfer portal.
He joins a talented backcourt that features the nation’s top incoming transfer in former Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis and the No. 1-ranked incoming freshman point guard in McDonald’s All-American Boogie Fland.
Wagner made 28 starts for Kentucky as a true freshman in 2023-24, averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per contest.
He posted 13 double-digit scoring performances throughout the course of the season, including a back-to-back stretch in November in which he scored 22 on St. Joe’s and a career-high 28 points against Marshall.
Wagner got off to a red-hot start to his debut campaign in the SEC, scoring 14 at Florida, 16 against Missouri and 18 at Texas A&M in his first three games.
He finished with an SEC-best 19 points with four made three-pointers in Kentucky’s March 2 victory over Arkansas at Rupp Arena.
The 6-3, 185-pound lead guard was a consensus 5-star, top-10 prospect in the 2023 class coming out of Camden (N.J.) High School. He was named the co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game, scoring all 19 of his points in the second half.
He currently projects as a second-round selection in early 2025 NBA mock drafts.
Wagner is the son of former Memphis star and NBA player Dajuan Wagner and the grandson of Louisville legend and former pro Milt Wagner.
Familiarity will be a key component to Wagner’s potential success at Arkansas. He and his family have deep ties with Calipari and the staff who have followed him from Lexington as well as former Louisville head coach Kenny Payne, who recruited him heavily out of high school.
Wagner will also join forces with some familiar faces between the lines on the hardwood in former Kentucky teammates Zvonimir Ivisic and Adou Thiero, as well as former high school teammate and incoming freshman wing Billy Richmond.
With the addition of Wagner, Arkansas has gone from zero to eight scholarship players on the 2024-25 roster in just over a month since Calipari’s arrival.