Top-50 senior Shelley commits to Razorbacks

Arkansas landed its first recruit of the 2024 class on Monday, with top-50 senior Jalen Shelley announcing his commitment to the Razorbacks.

Shelley picked Eric Musselman’s program over a long list of schools that included Louisville, Ohio State, Texas A&M, LSU, Houston and others.

“I picked Arkansas because of their consistency and confidence in me,” he told ESPN. “Their plan for my development stood out to me. The way they broke everything down statistically, to the last detail. Their belief in me caused me to fully trust Coach Muss and the rest of the staff involved in the program.”

Shelley took an official visit to Arkansas this past weekend, his second time on the Fayetteville campus after taking an unofficial trip last fall.

“On the visit, the way the coaches spoke highly about my potential and chance to be great really moved me,” he said. “Everything that was said was very detailed and showed what they could do for a guy like me. I’m a great fit in their system, which also helped my decision.”

A 6-foot-7 small forward from Frisco, Texas who plays his high school ball at Link Year Prep (Missouri), Shelley is ranked No. 43 in the ESPN 100 for 2024. He’s the No. 14 small forward in the country.

Shelley played in 21 games for Houston Hoops and Pro Skills on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring and summer, averaging 12.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

He’s Arkansas’ first commitment in the 2024 class, as the Razorbacks look to land their third straight nationally-ranked recruiting class. Fellow ESPN 100 prospects Isaiah Elohim, Rakease Passmore and Tre Johnson all have official visits scheduled to Arkansas, while top-30 senior Annor Boateng has already taken an official visit to Fayetteville.

Since the 2020 class, Musselman has landed 14 high school recruits — with all 14 ranked inside the ESPN 100.