In addition to Meleek Thomas, Darius Acuff, John Calipari’s Arkansas gets another 7’0 uplift with Paulo Semedo

With Paulo Semedo, recruiting ace John Calipari has turned up another big find for Arkansas. His 2025 high school recruiting class was already noted as one of the nation's best. But Arkansas has added another late addition to its 2025 class. Massive Angolan center Paulo Semedo has committed to Arkansas for the 2025-26 campaign.

Big man Semedo is a big addition for Arkansas

Semedo is listed as tall as 7-foot-1 in some reports and had reportedly received scholarship offers from Arizona State, Florida State and Miami. He's a raw prospect who had last played high school basketball in Florida. Semedo has drawn praise for both this athleticism and his shooting ability. While he's not ranked in 247sports's rankings, ESPN has him as a Top 50 prospect.

Semedo is added to a class that includes five-star guard recruits Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas. Four-star recruit Isaiah Sealy is another perimeter-oriented recruit and in the last few days, Calipari has added not only Semedo but also Lithuanian forward Karim Rtail and Bosnian big man Elmir Dzafic.

Semedo and the 7-foot Dzafic will presumably battle with incoming transfers Malique Ewin from Florida State and Nick Pringle from South Carolina. Those four stand to be the tallest players on next season's Arkansas roster, which suddenly boasts plenty of size.

Calipari to Knicks rumors

A significant recent development which would likely have a negative impact on Arkansas's recruiting class are the whispers connecting John Calipari to the now-vacant New York Knicks job, opened by the recent firing of Tom Thibodeau.

After all, Calipari previously coached in the NBA with the (then) New Jersey Nets, and is known for his connections throughout the pro game, including his season at Kentucky coaching center Karl-Anthony Towns.

Calipari recently discussed those rumors on FanDuel's Golic and Golic Show. He was careful not to entirely discount the possibility of his interest in the job, but noted, "Coaching the Knicks is... I would say, not for everybody. Somebody's going to get a hell of a job."

Calipari, of course, just finished his first season with Arkansas, posting a 22-14 record and finishing the season in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Before Arkansas, he coached at Kentucky for a decade and a half, winning the 2012 NCAA Tournament title and reaching four Final Fours.

What do you think of Semedo's commitment to Arkansas? Share your take on the Hogs and their new center below in our comments section!