The Arkansas basketball program is going through a mass transition after the departure of former head coach Eric Musselman. Arkansas hired longtime Kentucky coach John Calipari to spearhead its team revamp. Moreover, Calipari and the program received big news from ex-Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis amid his NBA Draft plans.

Johnell Davis withdrew from the 2024 NBA Draft to play his final college basketball season at Arkansas, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Davis averaged 18.2 points and shot 41.0 percent on three-pointers with Florida Atlantic during the 2023-24 season. In addition, he notched 1.4 steals per contest.

The 6'4″ guard should provide great leadership and a stout two-way presence to the Razorbacks.

Johnell Davis spent all of his first four college seasons with the Owls, improving with each year. Davis helped the team rise to a new level during his junior and senior seasons. In 2022-23, FAU made the NCAA Tournament as an eighth seed and advanced to the national semifinals. Davis and the Owls are coming off another 2024 March Madness showing, but the team lost in the first round.

Now, Davis looks to help John Calipari's Razorbacks squad ascend back to the top of the college basketball landscape.

Arkansas had a subpar showing in 2023-24. They finished the season with a 16-17 record, which saw them rank third-to-last in the SEC. However, before that, the Razorbacks were a national force. Under the leadership of former head coach Eric Musselman, Arkansas played in three straight NCAA Sweet 16's from 2021-2023.

The program has it what takes to regain competitiveness, and John Calipari's presence along with the high-caliber staff and athletes he is bringing should help them do so.

Arkansas basketball starts a new era with John Calipari

When Kentucky's 2024 NCAA Tournament run ended in the first round, rumors of Calipari's exit began to spread. The longtime head coach was not happy with how the team finished the season and expressed so after their stunning defeat to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

“Hurting. Our team — players, staff, their families —we're all hurting. I'm hurting for them. I'm hurting for our fans, and I know many fans out there are hurting. But I want to say: No one is hurting more than me right now,” Calipari, per The Spun.

Nevertheless, Calipari expressed a desire to coach at the highest standard, despite tough challenges.

“My standard is we're playing to play deep into the NCAA Tournament and compete for national titles. And win national titles. I wanted this job knowing that was the case. I love this job knowing that was the case,” Calipari added.

Calipari did not stay to see things through with Kentucky for 2024-25, but he will take his winning mentality with him to Arkansas.

Calipari had an incredible 15-year coaching tenure with the Wildcats. He joined the program in 2009, and since then, has helped Kentucky remain a national contender. Calipari has led the team to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances including a title in 2011-12.

He wants to do the same for a Razorbacks team looking to etch more success to their program name. It will be interesting to see how Arkansas fares amid exciting changes.