Musselman discusses trio of signees on Day 1 of early signing period
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas signed three members of its top-5 recruiting class for 2022 on the first day of the early signing period.
Jordan Walsh, Joseph Pinion and Barry Dunning Jr. each put pen to paper Wednesday and officially joined the Razorbacks by signing a National Letter of Intent. Nick Smith Jr. and Derrian Ford have yet to send in their paperwork.
The five-man group is made up entirely of Rivals150 prospects and is No. 5 in the country, according to Rivals, finishing behind only Kentucky, Duke, Alabama and Kansas. It’s the second top-10 class in three years for Arkansas, as its 2020 group finished No. 8.
“We feel really good about the direction, the way we're building this thing,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “I think we saw last year the impact of what the four freshmen can do.
“These guys are going to have an impact for sure, and a really, really positive impact. For many of them, it's going to be an impact right away, just like we saw last year with some of the guys."
NCAA rules prohibit coaches from discussing recruits until they have signed with a school, so Musselman was only able to talk about the trio of signees and couldn’t comment on the other two.
Ford is expected to sign on Sunday, but mystery surrounds the status of Smith, a five-star prospect who’s ranked No. 16 nationally. It is widely believed he’ll wait to sign in the regular period, which begins April 13, and there’s some speculation that pro options are back in play.
When asked during Wednesday’s press conference if he was still confident that he’d add another couple of players to the class, Musselman deflected.
“Right now, the only thing we can talk about is three guys that have signed,” Musselman said. “Like I said, we’re ecstatic about all three of them.”
With Smith in limbo, the headliner of the three signees so far is Walsh. A top-10 prospect by other services, he is just outside of five-star range on Rivals, checking in at No. 31 overall.
Originally from Texas, Walsh is finishing his high school career at Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo. He turned down the likes of Kansas, Oregon, Texas and several others to play for the Razorbacks.
It was a major win for Musselman, who said Walsh was his favorite player to watch at the wing position.
“He’s such an explosive athlete,” Musselman said. “He’s an electric athlete to watch. People are going to love watching him play in Bud Walton.
“He’s got explosive dunks. He’s got creative passing ability off the bounce. He can make 3-point shots. He can guard positions 1 through 4. He can play positions 1 through 4.”
Musselman added that the 6-foot-7 wing has “unique” abilities as a passer and that he’s a “grab-and-go” guy who can ignite the fast break.
Although he’s not as heralded as the two in-state player who’ve yet to sign, Pinion is talented enough to earn a No. 125 ranking from Rivals and pick up offers from Baylor, Kansas, Texas Tech and others.
However, the Morrilton native decided to stay home and committed to Arkansas last October. Ever since then, Pinion has displayed a passion to play for the Razorbacks, as evidenced by him and his family coming up to Fayetteville for several football games.
“The thing with Joseph is he was the first one to step up in this class and say, ‘Hey, I want to be a Razorback player,’” Musselman said. “I think that’s always a powerful message when somebody believes in what’s going on and wants to commit at an early stage.”
On the court, Pinion is a “great shooter with deep, deep range” who’s capable of playing the 2 and 3, Musselman said. It also helps that he’s finally healthy after dealing with a knee injury that required him to wear a brace.
The first player officially announced by the UA on Wednesday was actually Dunning, the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama. Ranked No. 131 on Rivals, he chose the Razorbacks despite having offers from in-state programs Alabama and Auburn.
It helped Musselman’s cause that Dunning’s uncle is Peter Myers, a former UALR standout who actually played for Musselman’s father in some minor league all-star games during his career.
That connection provided an in for a guy who’s a four-star prospect on other services.
“He understands spacing,” Musselman said. “He’s got a really high basketball IQ with the ball in his hands, and when the ball’s not in his hands. A guy that can score with his back to the basket, can score around the rim, can face up. But I think his passing right now really separates him at his size.”
Assuming the other two players eventually sign, the five-man class will be one of Musselman’s largest as a college coach - and he’s still actively pursuing Anthony Black, the No. 34 overall player in the class.
It’s a stark contrast to last season, when Arkansas landed only one traditional signee in Chance Moore. Instead, the 2021 crop of newcomers features five transfers - something Musselman has become known for.
The lack of high school signees in the 2021 class, though, was due to recruiting restrictions put in place by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic. Those restrictions were lifted this summer, allowing Musselman to get back on the recruiting trail.
“We didn’t want to have a large class for what’s here now because we couldn’t see them,” Musselman said. “So this group…I’ve seen them. I’m not relying on the assistant coaches. I’ve seen these guys with my eyes.
“I’ve envisioned how each of these three guys can fit in, what their strengths are, areas they have to improve on that we’ve talked to them about. You have to win with stars, too. And we feel like this class is going to have some star players, for sure.”
With all five of Arkansas’ 2022 signees and commitments in the Rivals150, Musselman has yet to land a player outside of the top 150 since becoming Arkansas’ head coach. He is now 9 for 9, with the other four coming in the 2020 class.
A strong in-state crop has certainly helped him achieve that, but Wednesday’s trio of signees included two players from outside of Arkansas’ borders. Dunning was named the top player in Alabama as a junior, while Walsh is a borderline five-star prospect.
To Musselman, that is evidence that the program is continuing its positive trajectory on the heels of an Elite Eight appearance for the first time in 26 years and being in the preseason AP Poll for the first time in 14 years.
“I think right now, nationally, Arkansas - because of winning and we do some stuff off the wall and a little bit unique and the crowds - there's so many things that become attractive to players nationally right now,” Musselman said. “That's why we've done fairly well nationally and also in-state."