"They could play for us now": John Calipari thinks incoming McDonald's All-American duo are ready to play for Arkansas

John Calipari has recruited probably the best backcourt from the Class of 2025 as he brought together five-star guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas for next year's Arkansas Razorbacks roster. The two are still in high school, with Acuff playing for IMG Academy and Thomas with the OTE's City Reapers, but Coach Cal said the two are eager to play for him as soon as possible.

"Darius and Meleek have called me, saying, 'Coach, can we play for you now?" John Calipari said to League Ready on Monday. "They wanna come in, and they could play for us now."

Darius Acuff Jr. is a point guard who is ranked No. 9 overall by the On3 Industry Rankings, while Meleek Thomas, a shooting guard, is No. 11. Both signed with John Calipari and Arkansas due to the coach's reputation for producing NBA stars.

Among Calipari's top recruits are Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, John Wall, Bam Adebayo, Malik Monk, Jamal Murray and Devin Booker.

Meleek Thomas praises John Calipari

Both Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. have spoken positively of Arkansas coach John Calipari, with both guards admitting they are impressed with his record.

Thomas signed with Arkansas in November and talked about how Calipari made him say yes.

"(Calipari's) trying to put his players and the people around him in a position for after basketball," said Meleek Thomas in a 2024 appearance on the OTE Podcast. "Just by talking to him, you feel like you're not talking to nobody regular. It feels very genuine.

"He's been consistent coming to see me since eighth, ninth grade. When a coach of that caliber is coming to see you very young it's like, 'Pay attention to that.' ... His track record says it all. I'm always trying to keep up with his players and who he sends to the league, but it's just like he has more and more every year."

So far, Arkansas only has three signees, with four-star small forward Isaiah Sealy joining John Calipari's program next year alongside Thomas and Acuff. Because of its five-star backcourt duo, On3 has ranked Arkansas fourth nationally, with Houston, Duke and UConn having higher rankings than the school for its Class of 2025 crop.