If you ask most Razorback fans who Shawn Andrews is, they know.
A two-time consensus All-American offensive lineman and a first-round draft pick in 2004, he spent six years in the NFL and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. Now, his son has the chance to build a legacy of his own — but in a different sport.
Arkansas basketball notched its first commitment in the 2026 class when Shawn's son J.J. announced his pledge to the Razorbacks in front of a crowd of reporters, family, friends and more on Thursday afternoon at Little Rock Christian Academy.
J.J. chose to stay home and play for Arkansas over several schools with Missouri and LSU making the strongest push for his commitment. Despite their efforts, it wasn't enough to sway the Arkansas legacy from staying home and committing to John Calipari.
"It's awesome, it's unexplainable," Andrews told a group of reporters after his commitment. "I mean, I've been dreaming about this since day one — just following my own legacy. That's what my dad always tells me. So, it's great to be able to be a Hog."
As a junior, Andrews averaged 28.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per game and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas for the 2024–2025 season at Little Rock Christian Academy.
Andrews told reporters that Calipari likes his upside and plans to use him at both the off-guard position and on the wing. One of the reasons he chose Arkansas, he said, was Calipari’s approach to preparing players for competition.
"I just feel like Coach Cal does very professional things," Andrews said. "He’ll have us prepared for any game I feel like. So I think he does a great job treating us as professionals, but also taking care of us as well."
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound guard will arrive on campus ahead of the 2026–2027 season but for now he’s focused on finishing his senior year strong.
"Heading into senior year — state championship again," Andrews said. "And McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year."
With Andrews’ commitment, Arkansas now has an in-state product in each of the last two recruiting cycles after having no Natural State natives on scholarship last season (Lawson Blake was a walk-on who missed the season with an Achilles injury). Be sure to stay plugged into HawgBeat for more coverage of Arkansas basketball.
