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Arkansas targets are sprinkled throughout the updated Rivals150 for the Class of 2023, which was released Thursday.
Although none of the prospects have listed hometowns in Arkansas, an in-state prospect did crack the top 50 with Layden Blocker moving up eight spots to No. 47.
Now at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan., Blocker is a native of Little Rock and played his sophomore season at Little Rock Christian before transferring to the prep school. He has visited Arkansas in the past and is slated to be in town again this month for the Kentucky game.
It’s also worth noting that Blocker released a top seven back in October that included the Razorbacks, as well as Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Memphis and Oklahoma State.
While Blocker would fit the mold as a highly touted in-state kid, Arkansas also has its eyes on several out-of-state prospects that are ranked even higher.
Playing alongside five-star Arkansas signee Jordan Walsh at Link Academy in Branson, Mo., power forward Omaha Biliew dropped 11 spots to No. 18, but maintained his five-star status. He was recently in Fayetteville with Walsh and the rest of their teammates for the Mississippi State game.
Three more Arkansas targets are ranked in the 30s in the latest Rivals150: small forward Taylor Bowen at No. 32, shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter at No. 34 and shooting guard Wesley Yates at No. 39.
Walter and Yates, both of whom are from Texas (McKinney and Beaumont, respectively), are believed to be setting up visits to Arkansas. Bowen plays at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
Another prospect to keep an eye on is point guard Jeremiah Johnson, who made the trip from Norman, Okla., to Fayetteville for the West Virginia game. He checks in at No. 150. Click here to read about his unofficial visit.
It is still very early in the process and it’s hard to know exactly how many high school prospects Arkansas would take until its 2022-23 roster is finalized, but it’ll probably be a smaller class because it signed five players in 2022.
Considering all 10 high school recruits Eric Musselman has signed since becoming Arkansas’ head coach have been Rivals150 prospects, it’s a safe bet that those he does sign will be on this list.
