All Hogs

Ament Given Plenty to Think About Ahead of April 1 Announcement

Calipari, Hogs in solid spot to earn commitment of No. 4 overall prospect

Jacob Davis

Five-star prospect Nate Ament visited Arkansas March 8 for Arkansas' 93-92 win over No. 25 Mississippi State.
Five-star prospect Nate Ament visited Arkansas March 8 for Arkansas' 93-92 win over No. 25 Mississippi State. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Coach John Calipari was able to put a bow on top of a season-long rickety ride Saturday afternoon with a 93-92 victory over No. 25 Mississippi State.

Vibes finally felt right with senior center Jonas Aidoo's emergence as a force in the paint and Arkansas fans fully engaged which had to make a great impression on the top uncommitted 5-star Nate Ament.

The 2024-25 season has certainly been a transitional type, not what most expected but Calipari finally seems to have the program out of neutral and into fifth gear at the right time.

Acuff in Attendance

Ament, the No. 4 overall prospect for 2025 per 247sports, wasn't alone for his official visit this weekend as 5-star Arkansas signee and No. 12 overall prospect Darius Acuff was in attendance. Acuff has proven to be an ace recruiter as he visited the same weekend as 5-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas who committed just days later.

Arkansas Razorbacks 5-star point guard Darius Acuf
Arkansas Razorbacks 2025 5-star signee Darius Acuff is introduced during a timeout in the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Name, image and likeness is a major reason top stars sign with their respective programs but there is still no substitution for the relationship factor with potential teammates. Ament's recruitment has been zipped up without a hint of where he might go but it could be hard to say no to being a part of the No. 1 recruiting class.

Full Court Press

Arkansas coaches have made it known for much of the last year exactly how bad they want Ament. The 6-foot-9, 180 pound power forward has hosted Razorback coaches multiple times per month for in-school, home visits and to watch him play.

Signing someone as highly rated as Ament would ascend Arkansas to the top spot in 247sports recruiting rankings, ahead of the likes of current No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 UConn. It would give the Razorbacks its first No. 1 class in the modern era of recruiting rankings with its hall-of-fame coach showing why he remains college basketball's top recruiter.

All Hail "Chicken Man"

Razorback basketball's NIL investor, John Tyson was also in attendance Saturday like he is almost every week as he was instrumental in finally brining Calipari to Arkansas. There is also no coincidence that he was also inside the arena on the same day as Ament either.

It's hard to gauge exactly how much money flows through college basketball NIL collectives but the feeling around the country is that Arkansas can compete with anyone in the current landscape of the sport. Between the Tyson's, Walton's, Hunt's and Stephens' along with several other major donors, Arkansas will be able to compete financially to bring in exactly who Calipari covets.

For Ament, his current plan is to announce his long awaited commitment with a final five of Lousiville, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Duke April 1 at the 2025 McDonald's All-American Game at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York. On multiple occasions, Calipari has stated that if he wants somebody bad enough he will end up getting him and there's still no reason to doubt that to this point.

HOGS FEED:

• Wagner became sparkplug driving Hogs' high octane offense

• Hogs could emerge leader for Aggies' decommitted safety

• Resilient Razorbacks Accomplished What Few Thought Possible

• Calipari dragged Hogs to finish line, time for Aidoo to carry load in March

• Razorbacks Manage to Pull Things Out at End Against Mississippi State

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook

Published |Modified
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Home/Men's Basketball