The biggest waves, it turns out, can start with the smallest ripples. On March 21, SMU fired Rob Lanier after just two seasons, a surprising move ahead of the Mustangs’ transition to the ACC.
Just two and a half weeks later, thanks to a bevy of moves in between, John Calipari shockingly departed Kentucky for Arkansas. The basketball offseason — already hectic enough as it is — hit overdrive. One of the country’s top programs was without a coach. One of the country’s top coaches was without a roster.
This year’s coaching carousel and transfer portal dance — largely interwoven — took everyone for a spin, and it took until mid-July for all of this offseason’s top movers to find a home.
CBS Sports’ David Cobb ranked the top 80 transfers, and with things (mostly) finally settled, here’s how his top five will help their new teams.
Coming off an incredible 2023 Final Four run, FAU never really met the sky-high expectations it had in 2023-24. Still, with that iconic March Madness fresh in everyone’s mind, Dusty May took the Michigan job, and seven of his former Owls players decided to leave FAU behind as well. Davis wasn’t only the best of that bunch but, in David’s eyes, the best of any transfer this offseason.
He’s also a perfect fit for an Arkansas roster that is an amalgamation of various parts. Calipari’s first Razorbacks roster will include some players he brought along from Kentucky, some transfers from other programs, some of his high-school recruits who had been committed to Kentucky and just one scholarship player from last year’s Razorbacks, Trevon Brazile.
It’s anyone’s guess as to what this group will look like, but Davis is an awfully good place to start because of both his positional flexibility and his vast offensive repertoire. Davis technically slotted in as the power forward at FAU according to KenPom.com, and at 6-foot-4 he more than held his ground on the boards; his 6.3…
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