In less than a day, Arkansas has doubled the number of players on its 2024-25 roster with the addition of two high-profile recruits. Both Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond III, who initially committed to Kentucky, have flipped to Arkansas.
The news of Boogie Fland’s commitment broke on Thursday evening. The guard from White Plains, NY, was initially set to play for Kentucky but asked to be released from his national letter of intent following the departure of Kentucky’s head coach, John Calipari, to Arkansas.
The myth circulating social media that Coach Calipari’s move away from the Kentucky brand was a mistake is being shattered before our eyes. When Fland committed to Calipari at Kentucky, he chose the Wildcats over Indiana and Alabama. Arkansas was never on his mind. It’s looking more and more like Coach Cal was the brand for the last few years, not the program.
During his senior year in high school, Fland averaged 19.3 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote this about the fourth-ranked all-time Arkansas commit:
Fland, rated as a .993 five-star recruit by 247Sports composite rankings, was a key component of the Wildcats’ now-defunct No. 2 ranked recruiting class. He was one of six highly-touted recruits in that group. Arkansas has been quick to capitalize on Kentucky’s instability, securing Karter Knox earlier this week, another former Wildcat commit.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Billy Richmond III, another high-ranking recruit, announced his commitment to Arkansas early this morning. This rapid recruitment turnaround has helped Arkansas bolster its roster with top-tier talent in a remarkably short span.
