Before they head to Fayetteville to start their college careers, five-star guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas will have all eyes on them in the McDonald's All-American Game on Tuesday night.
In addition to Acuff and Thomas, five-star forward target Nate Ament will also play in the game. His original plan was to announce his college decision during the game, but that decision has been delayed, he told ESPN on Monday.
The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT from the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn and air on ESPN, but the high schoolers have been there since the weekend. They played in a scrimmage Monday leading up to the game and had some practices over the weekend.
While Acuff and Thomas will be teammates next year, they're facing off against each other on Tuesday. Acuff and Ament were named to the East roster and Thomas was named to the West roster.
Thomas said Monday that while sometimes ball-dominant players don't want to play with each other, both he and Acuff saw what could happen when they come together instead.
"In my opinion, if you got two real dogs, like, not fake dogs, real dogs, how are you going to lose when you're on (the same page)?" Thomas said. "We both think the same way."
Thomas also said while he and Acuff have been at the McDonald's All-American Game weekend, they've had the chance to sell Ament on the prospects of playing at Arkansas.
"My pitch to Nate has been, 'You want to come play with winners, and play with players that's going to be for you,'" Thomas said. "We're not just telling him to come to Arkansas just because we want another five-star, we want another very good player. I'm telling him to come to Arkansas because we feel he could be a real asset for our team."
Acuff was the first domino to drop for the Razorbacks in the class of 2025, and he committed on July 26 of last year. The Detroit native had his pick of the litter regarding the schools he could go to and chose the Hogs over offers from Kansas, Michigan, Alabama, UConn and many others.
After he committed, he went straight to work to help recruit Thomas. The two were on hand when the Arkansas football team took down Tennessee on Oct. 5, which coincided with Thomas' official visit weekend.
Thomas said the loyalty and honesty Hogs’ head coach John Calipari has shown him all throughout high school also played a big role in his decision to commit to Arkansas, which he did on Nov. 11.
"(Calipari) has been recruiting me since eighth, ninth grade," Thomas said. "He's never told a fib to me, never told me something was going to happen that didn't happen. So, when you're so genuine on your behalf, it's easy for me to just give my full commitment to that school and that staff."
Acuff and Thomas are just two of the pieces Arkansas has for its roster next season, and with the transfer ...
