Arkansas Guard Jeremiah Wilkinson Receives High Marks From CBB Analyst

FAYETTEVILLE — Jeremiah Wilkinson flew under the radar as a 3-star shooting guard prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Even after putting the ACC on notice as the top sixth man in the league, and named to the All-Rookie team, Wilkinson somehow found himself undervalued by most services again as a top-100 transfer.

After signing with home-state Georgia Bulldogs, he became one of the more prolific scorers in the SEC and all of college basketball, averaging 17.4 points per game with 10 20-point outbursts, and a trio of 30-point performances.

After getting a bad taste in his mouth with the lack of effort in the Bulldogs' frustrating 102-77 loss to Saint Louis in the NCAA Tournament, Wilkinson entered the portal again looking for a new home.

With the Razorbacks in search of a veteran scorer having lost both Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas to the NBA, there was a perfect landing spot for the sharpshooter within the conference. And he didn't arrive without acclaim this time either, as he was the No. 34 overall transfer and No. 6 among combo guards, according to 247Sports.

Coming into the season, Wilkinson was hardly on anyone's radar though as an All-SEC selection despite his overall body of work at Cal and Georgia. Most of the focus on Arkansas basketball has been on the consensus No. 1 recruiting class led by Jordan Smith Jr. and returning star Billy Richmond, who tested the NBA Draft waters this spring.

Wilkinson made sure his name was heard early and often in the season opener against UA-Pine Bluff by scoring 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-7 from three while also adding six rebounds, five steals, three assists, and one block.

And somehow, his stat line still went unnoticed nationally. Of course, it's against SWAC competition but his debut in a Razorbacks uniform was impressive nonetheless.

However, Wilkinson isn't quite the invisible man we might think he is.

CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein described Wilkinson as Arkansas’ "unsung presence" on the floor.

How do you hide a player who scored 30 points in an NCAA Tournament game last March and has averaged at least 15.1 points in each of the past two seasons?

It is a mystery to me as well.

The 6-foot-1 Wilkinson — who has previously played at both Georgia and Cal — may not be the most notable part of the Razorbacks; top-ranked recruiting class, but that does not mean he is not going to play an integral role this season in Fayetteville.

The smooth lefty tallied 23 points, six rebounds, and five steals in Tuesday night's 106-61 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff while shooting an impressive 7 of 11 from the field and 4 for 7 from 3-point range.

Do not be shocked if Wilkinson gives Arkansas another All-SEC caliber player to go with Billy Richmond and five-star freshman Jordan Smith Jr.
Jon Rothstein, 247Sports

While scoring is what gets Wilkinson noticed, it's the rest of his debut that offers a better picture of what he can bring to this Arkansas team. His defensive intensity that led to him recording five steals helps create the kind of transition offense that can make the Razorbacks a dangerous team to prepare for come March Madness.

It also allowed Arkansas coach John Calipari to offer one of the boldest predictions anyone will hear from him to start the year.

“I'm on him because I'm saying, the way these other guys play, he should lead the country in steals. He should,” Calipari said after Arkansas' 106-61 win over UAPB. “The way these other guys play, where they're up on him, just be like a cat waiting, boom. And he started doing it in the second half. He had like three or four steals. Those all end up being baskets.”

Wilkinson arrived at Arkansas with a scorer’s reputation, but Calipari sees an opportunity for him to have an impact on either end of the court.

He'll be provided with a tougher test Sunday in Washington, D.C. as No. 12 Arkansas takes on No. 9 Virginia inside Capital One Arena for the Capital Showcase. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. EST/Noon CT and will be aired nationally on ESPN.

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