Arkansas men’s basketball and head coach John Calipari set the tone for the 2025 recruiting class by landing the commitment of coveted guard Darius Acuff.
The Detroit (Mich.) native who is playing his high school ball at the prestigious IMG Academy was offered on April 21, was Arkansas’ first 2025 visitor of the Calipari era on May 10 and is now officially locked in as the first commitment in the class.
Acuff (6-3, 180) is a five-star prospect who ranks as high as No. 4 nationally, according to 247Sports. He is the top-ranked guard in his class and immediately slots in behind Nick Smith Jr. as the second-highest rated commit in program history in the modern rankings era.
Earning a pledge from Acuff came as a massive recruiting win for Calipari, who staved off the likes of Bill Self (Kansas), Dusty May (Michigan) and Bobby Hurley (UConn) to lock in a foundation piece for the future of the Razorback backcourt.
A ready-made playmaker with a strong, physical frame, Acuff is likely to be a Day 1 contributor with one-and-done potential when he sets foot on campus next summer. He is coming off a stellar grassroots season where he averaged 21 points per game on the Nike EYBL and earned a spot on the USA Basketball Junior National U18 Team.
A point guard with a scoring mindset, it is easy to tell Acuff models his game after the likes of Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant and Trae Young. He also approaches the game with the demeanor of a player fully confident in his abilities. His combination of skill and swagger profiles him as a potential late-game/clock option as a true freshman.
While the phrase has become overused and cliche by evaluators, Acuff truly fits the mold of a three-level scorer. His efficiency from three varies based on his shot selection, but he can drill it off the catch or bounce with range extending beyond the arc. He can create space but does not need much breathing room to get his shot off.
Acuff is advanced for his age as a ball-handler who plays with pace and has high-level change of speed and direction with the ball on a string. He has made strides with his decision-making as a ball-screen handler, can stop and pop in the mid-range and finishes around the rim with strength and a deep bag that features and array of finishing techniques.
When Acuff is in distributor-mode, he is the type of lead guard who makes those around him better as a solid passer with good court vision, but one of the next steps in his development will be in finding a balance and avoiding inefficient spells as a chucker.
Acuff has all the physical tools to be a plus defender in the SEC, but like many young prospects he has been hit or miss at times when it comes to his want-to on that end of the floor.
With Acuff on board for an Arkansas 2025 class that is expected to go 3-4 deep, Calipari and his staff will now turn their attention to other top targets including Caleb Wilson, Maleek Thomas and others.
Make sure to stay tuned in at Inside Arkansas for all the latest updates on Razorback basketball recruiting.