Arkansas Lands Commitment from Potential 2027 NBA Draft Lottery Pick

The Arkansas Razorbacks turned in another strong campaign in 2025-26.

After reaching the Sweet 16 in 2025, John Calipari’s team returned to the Sweet 16 in 2026 on the heels of a remarkable season from freshman superstar Darius Acuff.

Acuff, fellow freshman standout Meleek Thomas and Billy Richmond have all declared for the draft, and Trevon Brazile’s NCAA career has also come to an end after five years in college.

As a result, the Calipari and the Razorbacks will have to rebuild the roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. So far, Arkansas has a solid start.

The Hogs already boasted commitments from prized 2026 recruits Jordan Smith Jr., Abdou Toure and JJ Andrews to go along with a few talented transfers. On April 27, the Razorbacks added another big-time pledge to the 2026 class.

Miikka Muurinen, a five-star prospect in this year’s cycle, announced his decision to play for Arkansas next year.

Breaking: Five-star Miikka Muurinen has committed to Arkansas, he and his agent, Teddy Archer of TAA Sports, tells ESPN.

Arkansas now boasts the nation’s top recruiting class. pic.twitter.com/GVf4iE80VX
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 27, 2026

The Finnish big man held offers from Michigan, BYU, Alabama and other programs, but will leave KK Partizan, an ABA League team in Serbia, to play for the Hogs.

In April at the Nike Hoops Summit, Muurinen measured at 7-feet tall and 223 pounds, also recording a 7-foot-2 and half an inch wingspan.

In eight games with KK Partizan, Muurinen averaged 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, an assist and a steal per game while shooting 42.4% from the field across 11.6 minutes per contest. Prior to his time in Serbia, Muurinen played for Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and AZ Compass Prep in Arizona.

Muurinen is the son of Kimmo Muurinen, who played college basketball at Arkansas Little Rock and professionally in multiple leagues overseas.

While Muurinen likely needs to refine his skill set and become more comfortable against physicality to become a lottery pick, the 19-year-old has intriguing physical tools. Along with his height and wingspan, Muurinen has impressive mobility for a player of his size and stature, which could make him a threat on both ends of the floor.

The draft has shown that players with those attributes are typically valued by NBA front offices, as teams have frequently selected prospects with size and movement skills near the top of the class.

Competing in the SEC, Muurinen will be able to showcase his abilities against a number of other top prospects. Scouts will also have the opportunity to see if the coveted recruit has improved against stonger players.

Add us as a preferred source on Google