Razorbacks Reportedly Linked to Kentucky Transfer Currently in Portal

Previous relationship with Calipari has Wildcats freshman in mix at Arkansas

Kentucky Wildcats guard Jasper Johnson (2) grabs a pass during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas and Kentucky freshman guard Jasper Johnson have reported mutual interest, according to veteran reporter Larry Vaught.

Razorbacks coach John Calipari initially offered Johnson, a Lexington native, and eventually committed to the Wildcats in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-5, 180 pound combo guard played his senior year at Overtime Elite prior to making his move to Kentucky this season.

Johnson averaged over five points, two assists and one rebound on 40% from the field, 34% from three, and an 88% mark from the free throw line in 12 minutes per game. He made 35 appearances as a freshman, but never cracked the starting lineup.

The @BruhJasperJ recruiting has taken a big turn as I am hearing @CoachCalArk -- who offered Jasper Johnson when he was coaching at UK -- plans to meet with the guard in the next few days. At least five SEC schools I know of now in pursuit of @BruhJasperJ pic.twitter.com/aWUvsFcGDC

— Vaughts' Views (@vaughtsviews) April 11, 2026

He has previously been linked to Alabama and coach Nate Oats out of the transfer portal. But with Arkansas missing out on Colorado transfer guard Isaiah Johnson to longtime rival Texas early Saturday morning, this is a sign Calipari is still exploring his options for his next backcourt.

During his recruitment, Johnson had a final three of Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina while Calipari and Arkansas prioritized Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas instead. The Razorbacks had arguably the best offense in the country this season that featured its guards in a prominent role as downhill drivers and knockdown shooters at all three levels.

That type of development could be intriguing to a player such as Johnson, who struggled with consistency with the Wildcats. Experienced guards Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler and Denzel Aberdeen absorbed the majority of minutes and impacted his amount of floor time.

“[Jasper Johnson’s] recruitment has taken a big turn as I am hearing[(John Calipari], who offered Jasper Johnson when he was coaching at UK plans to meet with the guard in the next few days," Vaught wrote via X. "At least five SEC schools I know of now in pursuit of [Johnson].”

Former 'Cats Turned Hogs

When Calipari infamously made his way from Lexington to Fayetteville in April 2024, he effectively took DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic with him as transfers.

While neither of them were effective pieces to the success of Kentucky's final teams, they played vital roles in Arkansas' Sweet 16 run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Wagner provided the Razorbacks with a steady presence at point guard after freshman star Boogie Fland suffered a thumb injury that forced him to miss the latter half of the season.

The emergence of Wagner as a sophomore was a welcome sight for the former 5-star as he averaged over 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds in 35 minutes per game. As his volume of shots increased, his overall effectiveness improved making 40% from the floor, 30% from three and 82% at the free throw line, which were all improvements from his freshman season.

Thiero was Arkansas' true catalyst for the midseason turnaround from 1-6 in SEC play to a near Elite Eight appearance. He became the Razorbacks leading scorer at 15 points per game while also averaging six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

His highest scoring output with Kentucky in two seasons was 16 agaisnt Kansas to begin the 2023-24 season.

He made drastic improvements to his offensive skillset and ultimately became a primary scoring option for Arkansas, recording eight 20+ point outings with another five games of 16+ points during junior season.

Ivisic played in all 35 games for the Razorbacks as a sophomore, starting 19 and averaged nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes per game.

There was a stretch of five games in February where Ivisic showed up big on the offensive end for Arkansas as he showed off his exceptional handles for a 7-foot-2 big man.

He scored at least 20+ points in three games, including a 27-point outburst against Alabama while shooting 10-of-18 from the field, and 5-of-9 beyond the arc.

ZVONIMIR IVISIC ARE YOU SERIOUS WITH THAT POSTER 😱 pic.twitter.com/MVc0x9nsKb

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

While he didn't quite equal those marks at Illinois as a junior, he still developed physically as an athlete which included arguably the most impressive dunk in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.