Jonelle Davis has been one of the best guards in men’s college basketball for the past two years. In 2023, Davis was the leading scorer on a dominant Florida Atlantic team that made an impressive run to the Final Four as a No. 9 seed. Davis had another great individual season last year, growing as an outside shooter and playmaker as FAU returned to the tournament.
Davis declared for the 2024 NBA Draft after the season, but also remained eligible and put his name in the transfer portal. When head coach Dusty Maye left Florida Atlantic for Michigan, it was guaranteed that Davis would be gone either way. He was ranked by some media outlets as the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal; Includes CBS Sports.
Davis announced his commitment Tuesday night after receiving offers from some of the biggest programs in the country. John Calipari and Arkansas won.
BREAKING: FAU transfer Jonelle Davis visited Arkansas last weekend and plans to sign with John Calipari and the Razorbacks, officials say @aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
He has declared for the NBA draft and hopes to turn pro, but the University of Arkansas has offered him a lucrative NIL contract…
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 1, 2024
Davis would like to play in the NBA again next season, but is not currently participating in the NBA. ESPN’s Top 100 Big Boards and Does not appear in most 2-round mock drafts. We have to respect whether he wants to work his way into the league on a two-way contract, but Arkansas will likely offer even more money thanks to a large NIL contract.
Davis signed a NIL contract with Arkansas worth “over $1 million.” According to Goodman. That would put him in line for the biggest NIL acquisition in the transfer portal so far. Indiana reportedly paid center Oumah Baro, another consensus top-three portal recruit, $1.2 million for his contributions in early April.
It’s wild for a college to outbid the NBA for a player, but that’s exactly what could happen here. NBA players on two-way contracts made $559,000 last season., which is half of the league’s minimum rookie contract. Perhaps Davis can get some attention in the second round with a major college before the draft, but even if he doesn’t, he’ll be a soft landing as the next star guard behind Calipari.
Davis won Conference USA Player of the Year in 2023 and was named co-AAC Player of the Year last season when FAU advanced to the larger conference. He has been projected as an elite guard in the SEC since day one and will join a very talented five-star freshman in the typically strong backcourt of Calipari.
Boogie Frando has been committed to Kentucky since October. When Calipari left for Arkansas, the freshman guard followed suit. Frand is a 6’2 slippery combo guard who ranks him 19th overall in the world. Overall recruitment ranking. It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if Frand started the season as a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after impressing in practice sessions for the McDonald’s National Game. After all, no one has produced as many NBA guards as Calipari. That’s why Davis chose this location.
Arkansas still has a lot of work to do to fill out its roster. Calipari acquired a great veteran defensive center in Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee into the portal. He also brought in center Zvonimir Ivicic for his second season. largely He was a player in his first Kentucky freshman class (forwards Carter Knox and Billy Richmond joined Frand), but not stud center Jaden Quaintance. There are still 7 spots left on the roster.
With Mark Pope currently stationed in Lexington, it’s going to be fascinating to follow the Kentucky vs. Calipari storyline all year long. The arms race in the SEC is heating up, and Arkansas continues to prove its willingness to pay to compete at the top of the league.
