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Report: Arkansas star guard Meleek Thomas to remain in NBA Draft

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope05/28/26bykeeganpope

Arkansas star freshman guard Meleek Thomas will not return to the Razorbacks next season, and will instead stay in the NBA Draft. DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony first reported the news on Thursday.

Thomas entered the NBA Draft process earlier this spring, but it remained up in the air whether or not he’d entertain returning to college. Amid the speculation, the 6’3 scorer has decided to begin his professional basketball journey. He is largely projected as a second-round pick.

He is coming off a true freshman campaign where he showcased exactly why he was one of the top recruits nationally in the Class of 2025. Thomas appeared in 37 games for the Razorbacks, starting in 21 and averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per night. He shot just 43.5% from the field but was deadly from behind the arc (82 made 3-points on 41.6% shooting).

All of that came while playing next to projected top-10 pick and All-SEC selection Darius Acuff, who himself poured in 23.5 points per game. Thomas would have had an even bigger role in 2026-27, coming back to the SEC as one of the top players in the league, but that is not the case.

Meleek Thomas to depart Arkansas alongside fellow star guard Darius Acuff Jr.

Thomas and Acuff will not return, while Trevon Brazile and Malique Ewin are both currently out of eligibility. The latter could petition for a waiver because of his status as a previous junior college recruit, but Ewin is also currently in the transfer portal as he awaits a decision on that.

Key rotation players DJ Wagner (Maryland) and Karter Knox (Louisville) both left the program to enter the portal during the offseason as well. Arkansas did get a big win in the stay-or-go process, however, as forward Billy Richmond did indeed pull out of the Draft and will return to college. He initially decided to enter the Draft, but changed his mind at the last second.

In their place, Calipari and Co. are bringing in the country’s No. 1 recruiting class, headlined by four top top-20 prospects.

The Razorbacks have already signed five-stars Jordan Smith Jr. and Abdou Toure, as well No. 5 shooting guard JJ Andrews. No. 2 power forward Miikka Muurinen, who spent last season playing professionally for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, committed to Arkansas in April.

That group is joined by transfers Jeremiah Wilkinson (Georgia) and Cooper Bowser (Furman), both ranked as four-stars by the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings.