"Arkansas fans should be excited about it": Analyst Aaron Torres heaps major praise on John Calipari's 5-star recruit

John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks acquired Darius Acuff Jr, a five-star point guard who is ranked No. 5 overall in the 2025 class by 247Sports. Acuff proved his mettle at the Iverson Classic on Saturday, recording 32 points and 11 assists to earn MVP honors, prompting high praise from analyst Aaron Torres.

Acuff's performance signals the potential impact he could have on the Razorbacks, with Torres noting that Fox Sports Radio's Acuff could emerge as the team's most vital player next season.

"(Darius) became Arkansas' best recruiter," Torres said on his podcast Monday (1:12). "I just think Arkansas fans should be excited about him. He's a little tiny bit undersized, but he is a sheer bucket getter. He gets others involved, as whenever you have 11 assists in a game, you can see the impact that he's having."

Torres added that this year's recruiting class is loaded with so many good players and Acuff has become underrated. He also predicted that Acuff will start behind DJ Wagner in the pecking order, but by season's end, he could evolve into John Calipari's most important player.

"I look at his game. I look at his ability to get his own basket. I look at his ability to get others involved. He's actually a better three-point shooter than people probably give him credit for," Torres continued. "I just think he's a guy that people aren't talking about enough."

John Calipari's 2025 recruiting class places Arkansas fifth in 247Sports standings

Arkansas lost several of last season's top contributors in the offseason, including Adou Thiero, who declared for the NBA draft and Boogie Fland, who entered the transfer portal.

Although DJ Wagner decided to return to Fayetteville, John Calipari has been forced to add new pieces to his roster. The Razorbacks' 2025 recruiting class currently ranks fifth in the 247Sports ranking, powered by five-star signees like Darius Acuff and combo guard Meleek Thomas.

Isaiah Sealy, a four-star forward from Springdale, AR, also committed to Arkansas last November.

In terms of the transfer portal, John Calipari added two bigs in Malique Ewin from Florida State and Nick Pringle from South Carolina.

In his first season in 2024–25, Calipari led the Razorbacks to a 22–14 record. They finished ninth in the SEC standings and lost to Georgia in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas busted brackets as a No. 10 seed, with wins over No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 St. John’s to reach the regional semifinal.