There may be as little as one week left until John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team receive their first commitment for the upcoming 2025 recruiting class. Join us on Friday, July 26th at 4 p.m. (CDT) for the college decision-making ceremony of Darius Acuff Jr., a consensus five-star prospect and a top target for the Razorbacks. Now he’s narrowed his options down to three schools: Michigan, Arkansas, and Kansas.
In the 2025 recruiting class, Acuff is the fourth-best talent overall and the top point guard, according to 247Sports. He has a five-star recruit rating. Calipari, the new head coach of the Razorbacks, has long been interested in the 6-3, 180-pound product of IMG Academy. Actually, in May, he made history by being the first 2025 prospect to formally visit Fayetteville.
HawgSports provides exclusive coverage of the Arkansas Razorbacks, including comprehensive analysis, insider information, and news on the transfer portal and recruiting as it happens. By becoming a subscription, you will gain access to exclusive content and professional insights that are not available elsewhere. Get all the latest Arkansas sports, recruiting, and transfer portal news by subscribing now to the best independent source!
The native Detroiter narrowed his college options down to four on June 28: the Razorbacks, Kansas, Michigan, and UConn. Acuff has since removed the reigning national champions from further consideration. For the past few months, Acuff has been dominating the Nike EYBL grassroots tour. His most recent performance was at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, where he averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on 48% field goal shooting and 43% long-range.
Acuff and The Family didn’t make it to the real Peach Jam, but they sure knew how to rock the PIT. During the last two live periods, all three of Acuff’s remaining coaches—Calipari, Kansas’ Bill Self, and Michigan’s Dusty May—were present to observe his game. Adam Finkelstein, Director of Scouting for 247Sports, has this to say about Acuff:
Acuff exudes an air of self-assurance while playing lead guard, and he is the most powerful and energetic player in his class. With the ball in his hands and an arsenal of multipurpose tools, he dominates the offensive end of the court. First of all, he has a wingspan of +4.5 inches, which makes him powerful and coiled. Now he can take a hit anywhere on the court—in the open floor or half-court—without moving off his line because he lowers his body to attack.
That helps him avoid being sped up and control his own pace. When he gets the hang of the pick-and-roll, he loves to split defenders just as he’s about to get off the ball and adjust his angle just before he reaches the screen. In an open floor attack, he will hit hard and, thanks to his growing strength and brute force, he can truly go downhill.
At his best, Acuff improves everyone around him and asserts himself in the most effective way imaginable. Like many youthful scoring lead guards, he has excellent vision and is a gifted distributor, but he also has a tendency to settle for bad shots when he has too much control of the ball. While he appears to be loosening up a bit in his hips, his aggressiveness and competitiveness could serve him well defensively in the long run.
