Darius Acuff Jr.

Darius Acuff Jr., a Detroit native who starred at Cass Technical before finishing at IMG Academy, arrived at Arkansas as a five-star McDonald's All-American and reset the program's ceiling. Under John Calipari he averaged 23.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds on 48.4% shooting and 44.0% from three across 36 games, leading the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 and becoming the first player since Pete Maravich to pace the SEC in both scoring and assists. He swept SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award while earning consensus first-team All-America honors. A 6'3" downhill lead guard, Acuff pairs deep pull-up range with pick-and-roll command, though his 190-pound frame and modest 0.8 steals raise questions about defensive impact against NBA size. Sacramento took him seventh overall in 2026 to develop as its long-term primary ball-handler.