Year 1 in Fayetteville for John Calipari was certainly an up-and-down experience, one that included a five-game losing streak during conference play. Freshman Boogie Fland missed the majority of SEC play with a UCL tear in his right thumb while Adou Thiero, the team's leading scorer, dealt with a hyperextended left knee.
Despite the injuries and inconsistent results throughout the regular season, Calipari got Arkansas to the Sweet 16, where it eventually blew a 16-point lead and lost in overtime to Texas Tech. With a full season under his belt with the Razorbacks and the offseason in full swing, Calipari is already finding success in the transfer portal — and he is keeping it within the SEC with his most recent transfer.
According to On3, Nick Pringle, a 6-foot-10 forward from South Carolina, has transferred to Arkansas, giving the Razorbacks some length inside with Thiero declaring for the NBA Draft. With Thiero departing, Pringle's size and versatility will be a huge benefit for Arkansas and give Calipari an experienced player that should adapt to his offense really well.
Arkansas adds to its frontcourt depth with the addition of Nick Pringle
After spending his freshman season at Wofford, Pringle transferred to Alabama for two seasons before making the transition to South Carolina. Of all four of his collegiate seasons so far, his most recent with was his best: While his field goal percentage dipped from 62.3% to 57.2%, Pringle averaged career-highs in points (9.5 PPG), rebounds (6.3 RPG) and assists (1.1 APG). Pringle was a stat-sheet stuffer in Columbia, recording three double-doubles and posting double-figure rebounds in five games.
This comes after Arkansas landed Florida State's Malique Ewin, a 6-foot-11 junior who averaged 14.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG while shooting nearly 60% from the field this past season. Ewin brings some size as well, plus an efficiency from the floor that could be hard to contain. As Thiero moves on, Calipari has to feel good about his two newest additions to the team.
For a team that ranked 154th in the country in rebounding (35.64 RPG) in 2024-25, having a presence underneath the basket is crucial for Arkansas if it wants to build something moving forward. Having already picked up Ewin from the portal, Pringle gives the Razorbacks some additional length and someone that is coming off a career- year with the Gamecocks.
Some questions still remain at the guard position with Johnell Davis graduating and Fland declaring for the NBA Draft. Darius Acuff, the No. 5 prospect in the 2025 class, gives Arkansas a lot of talent, but lacks experience as an incoming freshman.
While Arkansas could use a veteran presence at guard, its frontcourt depth is certainly looking much better than it appeared when Thiero left. With the addition of Pringle, Calipari is showing he is not afraid to dip into the portal as he looks to build a contender in Fayetteville.