All Hogs

Razorbacks' John Calipari back on the road in Week 2 of recruiting period

Stops in Iowa, Texas, New York were on Arkansas' prospect agenda list early this week
Kevin McPherson|
Coach John Calipari gives orders form the sideline against the Alabama Crimson Tide inside Bud Walton Arena. The Crimson Tide won 85-81.
Coach John Calipari gives orders form the sideline against the Alabama Crimson Tide inside Bud Walton Arena. The Crimson Tide won 85-81. | Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Calipari spent time coaching his second Arkansas Razorbacks squad on Monday, then he was back on the road to see priority recruits beginning Tuesday.

Calipari and Arkansas associate head coach Kenny Payne, regarded for a longtime as the big man guru on Calipari's coaching staff, were out to Iowa United Prep on Tuesday to see priority Razorbacks recruiting target Arafan Diane (7-1 center, native of Guinea, national Top 10, 5-star prospect).

Their meeting was "very good," according to Diane's guardian, Alex Victor.

Diane has an official visit set to Arkansas weekend after next (Sept. 19-21). He's also set to visit Kentucky this weekend (Sept. 12-14), Virginia (Sept. 26-28), Indiana (Oct. 17-19), and Houston (Oct. 24-26), with the latter currently being the perceived frontrunner for Diane's services when the dust settles.

Diane will share an Arkansas OV weekend with another 2026 Hogs priority target: National Top 5-rated, 5-star guard Jordan Smith, Jr. (6-2, Fairfax, Va.,), whose Sept. 19-21 OV to Arkansas was made public weeks ago.

If the visits play out as currently set, the multiple official visits weekend of Sept. 19-21 (now the Smith Jr.-Diane combo) would mark a first for Calipari at Arkansas when you look at his class of 2025 recruiting-visit cycle last year and the way the current 2026 recruiting-visit cycle is mostly laid out.

Diane averaged a double-double: 16.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in 2025.

Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin was present for most of Diane's games on the Adidas circuit.

Then in late July, Diane shifted from Adidas 3SSB to the Made Hoops circuit for one weekend, and Calipari was out to see him compete in a handful of games during the final July live evaluation period in North Augusta, S.C.

With Calipari and Hogs assistant coaches watching courtside, Diane teamed up with Razorbacks 2026 commit JaShawn "JJ" Andrews as well as 2026 Arkansas target Abdou Toure in 5-on-5 competitive play at the NBPA Top 100 camp in June in Orlando, Fla.

Victor has, on multiple occasions, commented on the on-court chemistry between Diane and Andrews as a positive.

Diane is massive in size while packing an impressive skill set as a perimeter shooter, interior scorer, and passer while providing an active motor while running end-to-end on the court.

Calipari extended a scholarship offer to Diane in July 2024. He traveled to Iowa United Prep in 2024 as well to visit with Diane.

Calipari's first stop on Tuesday was in Texas

Calipari's and Payne's first stop on Tuesday was in Dallas-Fort Worth, where a quartet of highly regarded players in the 2026 and 2027 classes might have been the reasons for their stop.

• 2027 Marcus Spears, Jr. (6-8 combo forward, Dynamic Prep, national No. 1, 5-star prospect)

• 2026 Austin Goosby (6-5 guard, Melissa, Texas, national Top 20, 5-star prospect)

• 2026 Bryson Howard (6-5 wing, Frisco, Texas, national Top 20, 5-star prospect)

• 2027 Dawson Battie (6-8 forward, Dallas St. Mark's, national No. 14, 5-star)

Martin back in New York to see twin towers

Two Razorbacks assistant coaches, Martin and Brad Calipari, were at Archbishop Stepinac in West Plains, N.Y., on Monday to see national Top 100, 4-star twin frontliners Darius and Adonis Ratliff.

It was the second time in the past week for Martin to stop by Stepinac to see the Ratliff twins, and his third stop there going back to late April of this year.

Darius Ratliff is listed as a 7-foot, 215-pound center, and he is ranked as the No. 52 prospect in the nation according to ESPN.

Adonis Ratliff is also listed as a 7-foot, 215-pound center, and he is ranked as the No. 86 prospect in the nation according to ESPN.

Their father, Theo Ratliff, was a longtime NBA center who was an all pro.

Their sister, Yasmeen Ratliff, played for the Arkansas Razorbacks women's basketball team in the late 2010s.

At this time, the Ratliff twins to not hold scholarship offers from Arkansas.

Arkansas' current on-campus prospect visit dates

• Aug. 29-31 was the recent visit date for Caleb Holt (6-5 guard, Prolific Prep, native of Huntsville, Ala., national No. 2, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 5-7 was the recent visit date for Brandon McCoy, Jr. (6-5 guard, Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles, national Top 5, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 12-14 Abdou Toure (6-5 wing, Notre Dame high school in West Haven, Conn., national No. 20, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 19-21 Arafan Diane (7-0 center, Iowa United Prep, native of Guinea, national No. 6, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 19-21 Jordan Smith, Jr. (6-2 combo guard, Fairfax, Va., national No. 2, 5-star prospect)

• Sept. 26-28 Tay Kinney (6-2 guard, Overtime Elite, native of Newport, Ky., national No. 12, 5-star prospect)

• Oct. 24-26 (may be tentative) Baba Oladotun (6-10 combo forward, Silver Springs, Md., national Top 10, 5-star prospect)

• Dates TBA (confirmed already finalized) Chase Foster (6-8 forward, Baltimore, Md., national No. 38, 4-star prospect)

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Kevin McPherson
KEVIN MCPHERSON

Analyst, reporter, and columnist for nearly 40 years in Arkansas, he has covered everything Arkansas basketball and recruiting (football, too). His primary focus has been the Razorbacks. His articles, columns, daily podcasts, and weekly television and radio segments drill down on the Razorbacks and more!

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