5-Star Hog Heaven
Jordan Walsh, 6-7 forward from Cedar Hill, TX, has committed to join the Razorbacks in 2022. Walsh is now the second 5-star commit of the 2022 class for Coach Muss, and his second overall during his time as the Head Hog. He joins 6-4 guard out of North Little Rock, AR, Nick Smith Jr. The two are good friends and clearly had an impact on each other’s decisions.
Musselman is quickly becoming a treasure to Razorback fans. If the Top 5 recruiting class in 2020 and ensuing Elite Eight run weren’t enough, Musselman has now pushed the Hogs’ 2022 recruiting class into the Top 2 in the nation, trailing only the Duke Blue Devils who happen to have three of the Top 10 ESPN recruits.
Immediate Impact
Walsh, along with good friend Smith Jr., has the size and skill set to have an immediate impact for the Razorbacks. At 6-7, he’s capable of playing either forward position. He has above-average ball-handling ability for a player of his size and shows continued improvement in his outside shot, something many young players with long wingspans often struggle with.
Along with good guard skills, Walsh has elite athleticism and a nose for the ball. He has all the tools and IQ to be an elite rebounder at the collegiate level, and he can finish in the paint against anyone. He has the ability to blow by larger defenders, but also the size and awareness to position himself in good scoring situations against smaller defenders even before he has the ball in his hands.
Razorback Basketball 2022 Class
Walsh and Smith Jr. aren’t the only newly committed Hogs set to join the team in 2022, they’re just the only ESPN 5-star prospects so far. In fact, they’re only two of the five high school studs Musselman has recruited to join the Razorbacks in 2022. The others include three ESPN Top 100 players – 6-4 guard, Derrian Ford (#68); 6-6 forward, Barry Dunning (#76); and 6-6 forward Joseph Pinion (#93).
Ford is a strong combo guard with the strength, skill set, and work ethic to be a superstar at the collegiate level. Pinion is a lanky guard/forward with elite shooting ability. Dunning is a strong forward with great intangible abilities like rebounding, high IQ, and all the small things that Musselman values in a “glue guy” on his collegiate teams.
Nick Smith Jr. recently mentioned that he would “bring some players on with [him] and try to make something happen” at Arkansas. It’s starting to feel like Smith got exactly what he was hoping for.
Moving Closer to Home
Walsh announced earlier this summer that he would transfer from his current high school in Southern California to Link Year Prep located in Branson, MO. Walsh joins the likes of Bryson Warren, Omaha Biliew, Julian Phillips, Aidan Shaw, and Tarris Reed Jr. on the Link Year Prep roster.
This move was not a tell-tale sign of Walsh’s commitment to the Hogs, but it never hurts to play your final year of high school basketball less than two hours away from your soon-to-be college home.
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