John Calipari’s departure from Kentucky to SEC rival Arkansas continues to have far reaching effects on the Wildcats basketball program. Former 4th ranked recruit from the class of 2023, D.J. Wagner has committed to the Razorbacks after entering the transfer portal this spring.
In doing so, he becomes the 6th Kentucky player or recruit to flip allegiances and follow Calipari to Arkansas. 6’8″ guard Adou Thiero, and forward Zvonimir Ivisic previously completed their transfers to the Razorbacks, while recruits Boogie Fland, Billy Richmond, and Karter Knox recently flipped their commitments as well.
Across 29 appearances in 2023-24, Wagner averaged 9.9pts/1.9reb/3.3ast for the Wildcats. The son of former NBA player Dajuan Wagner, DJ started off the season blazing hot, but cooled off down the stretch. The 6’4″ guard took only two recruiting visits since entering the transfer portal in April: one to USC, and one to Arkansas.
Both Calipari and assistant Kenny Payne were heavily involved in Wagner’s recruitment coming out of high school, so the signing isn’t entirely shocking. However it represents another hole in Kentucky’s roster that new head coach Mark Pope must now fill heading into the fall.
With the influx of Wildcats, plus transfer portal additions in Tennessee standout Jonas Aidoo and FAU guard Johnell Davis, Arkansas has amassed a top 15 recruiting class for the 2024-25 season according to most scouting services.
Kentucky went 23-10 last season, but ultimately bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the first round after being upset by Oakland 80-76. Wagner started 28 games for the Wildcats in 2023-24.
Photo: Bryan Horowitz. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.