Image – Whole Hog Sports
The transfer portal has been open for a full week and Arkansas finally received a commitment from a prospective player. There has been some movement for the Razorbacks with an NBA Draft decision, getting their first transfer on campus for a visit, an assistant coach is on his way out, and two Arkansas bigs are ‘portaling’ after limited roles during their freshmen seasons.
With one week left for players to enter the transfer portal, there should be much more action this week in Fayetteville with transfer visits and NBA Draft decisions. Enjoy the recap of this last week below:
Razorbacks get first transfer on campus for visit and a commitment
Image – Sports Illustrated
Arkansas is hosting 6’11 Furman forward Cooper Bowser for an official visit. Bowser began his visit yesterday and will exit campus today after meeting with the coaches and touring the campus and facility.
Bowser scored 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and shot an incredible 76.6% from the field during his junior season in Greenville, South Carolina. His height would fill the Razorbacks’ need but he would need to get in the gym and get bigger if he wants to join John Calipari’s squad and play meaningful minutes as a senior in Fayetteville.
His visit ended with a commitment on Tuesday morning. Bowser pledged to Arkansas in an Instagram post.
Meleek Thomas declares for NBA Draft but keeps options open
Image – Whole Hog Sports
Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas announced his plans to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility on Monday, April 13 in an Instagram post.
Thomas averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and shot 43.5% from the field this season. The freshman has until May 27, the NBA Draft deadline, to decide if he wants to fully to become a professional or return for his sophomore season in Fayetteville.
One of Calipari’s assistants joining Malone in Chapel Hill
Image – Sports Illustrated
On Tuesday, April 7, North Carolina named former Denver Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone as their new head man. A day later, reports surfaced that Arkansas assistant Chuck Martin would join Malone with the Tar Heels.
Martin previously worked with Malone from 1999-2000 at the University of Manhattan and will rejoin him as his associate head coach in Chapel Hill.
Martin leaves Calipari’s staff after three seasons working under him. He spent one season with him in Lexington at Kentucky and the next two in Fayetteville at Arkansas.
Calipari will have to find a new recruiting director after Martin got the Wildcats the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in 2024, and back to back top ten ranked classes for the Razorbacks in 2025 and 2026.
Freshman bigs on the move
Image – Best of Arkansas Sports
On the same day Malone was hired in Chapel Hill, Razorback forward Karim Rtail entered the transfer portal. Rtail did not play this season for Arkansas and decided to redshirt after season-ending back surgery.
The freshman from Lebanon previously played in the National Basketball League in Lithuania before enrolling in Fayetteville. He played in 35 games in 2024-2025, averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
He will have four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting the 2025-2026 season.
Image – Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
That same night, Razorback center Elmir Dzafic became the fourth Arkansas player to enter the transfer portal. Dzafic saw limited action in his first season of collegiate action behind Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin.
The Bosnian scored under a point and a rebound per contest in his one season on “The Hill”. Before his time in Fayetteville, he spent two seasons with KK Bosna Sarajeva (2023-2024 and 2024-2025), the top-tier professional league in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He becomes the fourth Arkansas player to enter the portal. He will have three seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining.
