FAYETTEVILLE – There will be no Fab Five for Arkansas’ basketball signing class of 2020, but Eric Musselman’s staff still has a chance to land four of the Natural State’s top prospects.
Four-star forward Chris Moore of West Memphis chose Auburn over the Razorbacks and Memphis on Saturday, ending the Hogs’ hopes of getting a clean sweep of this year’s extraordinary in-state talent.
Moore’s decision came somewhat out of nowhere as Memphis was long considered the favorite.
Then, about 7-10 days prior to his decision, all of the momentum seemed to shift toward the Razorbacks.
Bruce Pearl and Auburn, which reached the Final Four last season, made a late push and wrapped up Moore’s commitment and signature.
While Razorback fans would have preferred going 5 for 5, there’s still a lot of excitement surrounding what Musselman’s staff has been able to pull off in a relatively short amount of time on the job.
Arkansas has a signed National Letter of Intent from Jacksonville (Ark.) four-star guard Davonte Davis, and a verbal commitment from North Little Rock native and four-star shooting guard Moses Moody, who plays his high school ball at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Davis, 6-4, 175, was committed to Oklahoma State for 10 months prior to receiving a strong push from Arkansas’ first-year staff, and became the Hogs’ first 2020 verbal commitment on October 12.
He also held offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas Tech and others throughout his lengthy recruitment.
Davis is considered the No. 97 overall prospect in the Class of 2020, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite rankings.
Moody, 6-5, 180, is even more highly regarded as a borderline five-star and the nation’s No. 43 player in this year’s class.
Moody’s decision on November 9 came down to Arkansas, Michigan, and defending national champion Virginia, but he also held offers from Ohio State, Kansas, Florida, Auburn, Oregon, Texas and many others.
Davis and Moody being on board currently gives Arkansas the nation’s No. 33 recruiting class, but the Hogs have a very good chance of continuing to climb in the rankings over the next 10 days.
This Saturday, four-star big man Jaylin Williams of Fort Smith Northside will announce his decision between Arkansas and Auburn.
Unlike Moore’s recruitment, the Razorbacks have long been considered heavy favorites to land Williams, who has also been offered by Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, UCONN and many others.
The 6-9, 230-pounder is rated as the nation’s No. 70 overall prospect and the No. 11 center in the land for this year’s cycle.
Next Thursday, the Razorbacks will have a chance to gain another four-star from the Natural State when guard KK Robinson of Bryant announces his Thanksgiving Day decision.
Bryant, who plays for Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson (Va.), is down to Arkansas and Kansas but also held offers from Illinois, Iowa State, TCU, Texas A&M and many others.
He and Moody made their official visits in Fayetteville on the same weekend in late October and have spoken at length about the idea of playing together at the next level.
Arkansas currently leads the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions for Robinson as seven different analysts believe he will end up with the Hogs.
Another Arkansas native of note is point guard Issac McBride, who signed with Kansas last year but left the program prior to the start of the season.
McBride made an unofficial visit in Fayetteville earlier this fall, but told HawgSports earlier this week that he has yet to receive an offer from Musselman’s staff.
McBride is taking the semester off and will begin taking official visits soon.