Razorbacks in contention for 5-star small forward compared to NBA's Kevin Durant

Hogs' Calipari battles for program changing jumbo wing as he announces final four

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during exhibition matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas received very good news Tuesday when 5-star small forward Baba Oladotun released his top four schools, according to a post on his X account.

He trimmed his list to Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky and Maryland. An announcement for his commitment is unknown at this time, but has already taken official visits to each finalist. 

final 4!! ❤️💛🩶💙 pic.twitter.com/K6Y7aguw2h

— Baba Oladotun (@babaoladotun_) November 4, 2025

The versatile wing visited other programs such as Virginia Tech (Sept. 6), Maryland (Sept. 13), and Georgetown (Oct. 4),

The Razorbacks and second-year coach John Calipari hosted Oladotun for a visit while hosting Cincinnati for a preseason tilt. 

The 6-foot-10, 195 pound Maryland native first caught national buzz as a rising star for James Hubert Blake High School because of his combination of size, shooting touch and defensive versatility.

His strengths on the court allowed him to become a standout on the hardwood for Team Durant on the Nike EYBL circuit over the past few summers.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during exhibition matchup against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

Oladotun is often compared to current NBA star Kevin Durant for his handles, skills, length and scoring ability at the high school level

Oladotun was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class, but opted to reclassify and become a member of the 2026 recruiting class in August. He is now ranked No. 10 in the nation, which is a testament to his development over the past few months according to 247sports.

After his reclassification, he is considered the No. 3 player at his position and the top prospect in Maryland for this cycle with other offers from Louisville, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova, Virginia and many others. 

Oladotun is a jumbo wing with terrific positional size who is a fluid mover and shows some real playmaking upside. After his reclassification, he's notably young for a rising senior and has barely begun to fill-out his frame.

He's going to need to get significantly stronger given a high center of gravity that makes it difficult to play through contact. Long-term though he has the potential to play and defend multiple positions, initiate offense, and even shoot with a naturally soft touch but an elbow that flies out from under his release.

Adam Finkelstein, 247sports evaluation

During his sophomore season, the versatile wing averaged nearly 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals per game during the 2024–25 season.

He led his James Hubert Blake team to a 23–2 record and earned first-team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America honors for his performance during the season.

As the early signing period begins Nov. 12-19, there is reasonable suspicion that Oladotun will decide to sign with a program at that time.

The Razorbacks currently rank No. 16 nationally by 247sports with verbal commitments from a pair of intriguing guards already with Little Rock Christian 5-star shooting guard JJ Andrews and Connecticut 4-star wing Adou Toure.

Other 2026 ucommitted prospects who remain in play as Arkansas attempts to wrap up its recruiting class include 5-star shooting guard Jordan Smith, Jr., 5-star center Arafan Diane, 5-star point guard Brandon McCoy, and 5-star power forward Miikka Muurinen.

Should Calipari be able to garner Oladotun's pledge, it would shoot the Razorbacks to No. 2 nationally ahead of Missouri and directly behind Kansas for the top class.