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2022 5-Star Nick Smith Commits To Arkansas
It happened! The Arkansas staff did it. What seemed almost impossible about 8 weeks ago has been accomplished.
In-state 5 star Nick Smith Jr. has verbally committed to Arkansas. Many believed he wanted to venture out of state for his college basketball experience, but he has called the Hogs. Smith visited The Hill during the weekend of the Texas/Arkansas football game. The visit went incredibly well and Arkansas was able to make up a lot of ground. Smith’s Final 4 consisted of Arkansas(obviously), Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Smith visited both Auburn and Alabama months ago, but the trail has still remained hot from both of those staffs. Coaches from both schools have made several visits to North Little Rock high school to check in on Smith and make their final pitches.
In the end, Arkansas’ approach with a very NBA-experienced staff was about to win out for Smith’s services.
His offer list was very impressive with the likes of: Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Memphis, Baylor, Florida, Georgetown, Butler, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma St., St. John’s, Texas Tech, and others.
Nick Smith’s recruiting rank:
247: #8
Rivals: #16
ESPN: #6
Composite: #9
Smith would be the 2nd highest ranked played to commit to Arkansas in the recruiting rankings era.
The 6-5 guard will be an instant fan favorite the moment he arrives on campus. He’ll spend his senior year at North Little Rock high school playing along side 4-star Oregon commit Kelel Ware. They will be one of the best teams in the state and full of highlights every time they touch the floor.
This commitment is a huge deal for the program going forward. Perception has already changed nationally and recruits are taking notice. I expect Smith’s commitment and the continued success on the court to bring even more 5 stars to the Arkansas fold in the future.
The 2022 class as it stands now consists of:
5-Star #9 Nick Smith
4-Star #55 Derrian Ford
4-Star #90 Barry Dunning
4-Star #95 Joseph Pinion
Eric Musselman has totally changed this program. The staff is clicking on all cylinders right now. This class isn’t done either. Be on the look out for more great news on the horizon!
Thanks for reading! For all things Arkansas basketball, follow me on Twitter @BenBrandonHoops