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Razorbacks Going Head-to-Head With National Champions For 5-Star Guard

Arkansas among finalists for a top point guard prospect out of Illinois
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks recruiting target Brady Pettigrew celebrates following a made basket.
Arkansas Razorbacks recruiting target Brady Pettigrew celebrates following a made basket. | Brady Pettigrew, X

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One of the top guards in the 2028 recruiting cycle, 5-star Brayden Pettigrew has announced he will take five official visits, including Arkansas on Jan. 1, 2027.

The 6-foot-4, 190 pound combo guard looks like the next big thing out of the Midwest following a dominant sophomore season and is being recruited as such this summer.

Other visits Pettigrew has scheduled includes Michigan (Sept. 12), Florida (Sept. 25), Illinois (Oct. 2), and Ohio State (Nov. 6).

Pettigrew is considered a combo guard by most recruiting services, but his ability to see things before they happen on the floor, making plays in transition and exceptional athleticism makes him a prime candidate to become one of Calipari's next great backcourt players.

While he sits just outside of consensus 5-star status, Pettigrew is considered the No. 16 overall prospect nationally, No. 2 among point guards and No. 1 prospect in Illinois, according to Rivals Industry rankings.

He first came up with an offer from the Razorbacks following a stellar four-game stretch of performances in May at Memphis' EYBL event with his Brad Beal Elite team. Pettigrew averaged over 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while drilling 50% of his attempts from the floor.

He continued to string together standout performances during the Peach Jam, leading the 16U division in scoring at nearly 24 points per game while averaging five rebounds, three steals and one block. Pettigrew connected on more than 47% of his attempts from the field and an impressive 46% mark beyond the arc.

The rising junior also boasted two games where he tallied 26 and 32 points, respectively.

Other suitors for Pettigrew this offseason that weren't included in his list of official visitors include Kentucky, Tennessee, BYU, North Carolina, Missouri, Memphis, West Virginia, Indiana, Auburn and many others.

Arkansas coach John Calipari's history of preparing top high school guards as NBA Lottery selections has to benefit him in Pettigrew's case. Less than six months ago, he won an SEC Basketball Tournament title and coached the Razorbacks to another Sweet 16 appearance with consensus All-American point guard Darius Acuff putting on an offensive clinic.

That led to the signing of No. 2 overall prospect and reining Gatorade National Player of the Year Jordan Smith signing with Arkansas and 2027 5-star guard Davion Thompson reclassifying to 2026.

Former Arkansas guard Darius Acuf
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. greets fans after defeating Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament championship game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Each of them possess vastly different skillsets, but are able to fill up the stat sheet with high-scoring efforts, limit turnovers and make clutch defensive plays while on the court.

Pettigrew's recruitment still has plenty of time to develop, but getting him to Fayetteville gives Calipari an opportunity to sell another elite guard on becoming the next in that line.

If his summer production is any indication, everyone included on his list of finalist will be trying to pull out all the stops to prevent him from signing another highly skilled guard.

Arkansas 2028 Offer List

4-star CG Brady Pettigrew, 6-3, 185 lbs., Bolingbrook, Illi.
4-star CG Liam Mitakaro, 6-4, 175 lbs., Scottsdale, Ariz.
5-star SF Evan Willis, 6-8, 190 lbs., Hurricane, Utah
4-star SF Anthony Spratt, 6-6, 195 lbs., Benton
4-star PF Benjamin Berrouet, 6-7, 240 lbs., Dallas
5-star C Yann Kamagate, 7-foot, 230 lbs., La Canada Flintridge, Calif.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is the Publisher for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering college athletics. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year.

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