Immediately after Davion Thompson wrapped up his visit to Arkansas in late November, he sent a text to his dad with a clear verdict. “I was like, ‘I’m committing,’” Thompson tells Hoops HQ. “‘I’m going here. I want to go here.’”
The campus in Fayetteville felt like home. The coaching staff, led by John Calipari, had an incredible track record of developing players at his position. The system was an ideal fit. Arkansas seemed to have everything Thompson was looking for.
Still, his dad encouraged him to be patient. It was early in the process. As one of the top players in the Class of 2027, Thompson had a plethora of options to choose from. Ranked No. 25 in the latest 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-2 point guard out of powerhouse Link Academy had been stacking high-major scholarship offers since 2023.
Thompson listened to his dad’s advice. He explored other possibilities, primarily Vanderbilt, Baylor and Michigan. He even took an official visit to Vandy in May. But ultimately nothing swayed him. It was always Arkansas.
The formal announcement came on June 10. There was speculation that Calipari helped seal the deal by flying to Mexico to watch Thompson represent the United States at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup a week earlier, but in reality, Thompson had already privately committed.
With that decision out of the way, Thompson has another big one to make soon: whether or not to reclassify to 2026 and suit up for the Razorbacks next season. He would be joining the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, featuring four five-stars in guard Jordan Smith Jr., wing JJ Andrews, and forwards Abdou Toure and Miikka Muurinen. Thompson, who ranks 10th in the Nike EYBL in scoring, would give Calipari another elite offensive weapon to work with and raise the Razorbacks’ ceiling. Arkansas is slotted at No. 17 in Hoops HQ’s Never-Too-Early Top 25 and projected to contend for an SEC title.
Asked about the prospect of reclassifying, Thompson says, “It’s a possibility, but I’m just waiting until after AAU to see where it’s going to lead to. If the opportunity’s there, then I’m gonna go. They have a young team right now, so just seeing if I have an opportunity to play. If I have the opportunity to play, I’ll be at the school.”
Reclassifying to join the college ranks early has become an increasingly popular option for prize recruits in the NIL era. On Thursday, five-star forward Marcus Spears Jr. stunned the basketball world by announcing that he would be classing up to play for Texas in 2026-27. Thompson is widely expected to continue that trend, and it’s not hard to imagine him having an impact for the Razorbacks right away. The smooth lefty is one of the premier three-level scorers and playmakers at the high school level. He checks nearly every box for a floor general, excelling as a perimeter shooter, pick-and-roll ball-handler and facilitator.
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Playing for MeanStreets on the EYBL circuit, Thompson is currently averaging 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 42 percent from behind the arc. He guided the program to a 3-1 record at Session 4 in Las Vegas last week with Calipari and hundreds of other college coaches observing from the sidelines. In one particularly impressive performance, Thompson registered 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and buried four threes to lift MeanStreets over the Oakland Soldiers.
Arkansas already has a pair of prominent guards on its roster in Smith and Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson. A physical, highly explosive athlete, Smith was the No. 3 overall prospect in the Class of 2026 and won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award. He is a two-way force who does most of his scoring in the paint or the midrange. The 6-foot-1 Wilkinson is smaller but lightning quick and a dangerous threat from deep. During one season at Georgia, he was the engine of a top-five offense, averaging 17.4 points per contest. Thompson sees himself fitting in well alongside either player. “Jordan can do everything. He can play on and off the ball,” Thompson says. “And Jeremiah can play on and off the ball too. I feel like we’re all versatile. We’re all different.”
Of course, guards have a tendency to thrive under Calipari, which was one of the primary reasons Thompson was drawn to the Razorbacks. He watched closely this year as freshman Darius Acuff Jr. flourished in Cal’s system, earning All-American honors with averages of 23.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds before being selected seventh overall in the NBA Draft. “Obviously with John Calipari, what he does with his guards, it speaks for itself,” Thompson says. “So just going into that system, knowing what I could do, and working toward my future goal of the NBA.”
With Acuff and fellow freshman Meleek Thomas both opting to turn pro, there should be room in Calipari’s backcourt rotation, especially for a player of Thompson’s caliber. Thompson will compete in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam — the biggest recruiting event of the summer — next week in North Augusta, then make his much-anticipated decision.
Whether he arrives in a month or a year, Arkansas has yet another star guard waiting in the wings, one determined to bring the program back to the mountaintop.
“They have a dog coming to win it all,” Thompson says, when asked what the Razorbacks are getting in him. “I’m trying to get a natty.”
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