FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Calipari missed on one of the top recruits in 2027, as King Gibson commits to a conference rival.

King Gibson, one of the top combo guards in the nation, chose Louisiana State over Arkansas, marking the first real miss Calipari has had this recruiting cycle. However, this is not the end of the world.

For a while it seemed like Providence and Arkansas were leading the charge regarding Gibson. Over the past few days, that seems to have changed, with both teams backing off. This allowed LSU to step in and secure another four-star prospect.

Providence is in the running for players closer to Rhode Island, such as Patrick Otey from Connecticut. Arkansas is doing something similar, but it has its eyes set on bigger targets, and this recent loss in recruiting shows it may be leading the charge for some big names.

The biggest is Beckham Black. There was a possibilty that Black and Gibson would play together under Calipari, but that ship has now sailed.

Black is the top recruit in the 2027 class, and his game would elevate Gibson into a bona fide lottery pick as a freshman. So why would Gibson risk going elsewhere and not play for a guard developer?

Well, there is another five-star recruit Arkansas is closing in on, and that is Demarcus Henry.

Henry is the top-rated small forward in his class and is ranked as the fourth-best recruit in the nation. Landing him would have made Gibson obsolete in Fayetteville, and it seems his choosing elsewhere is a sign Calipari is landing both Black and Henry.

The race for Henry has also gotten easier, as UConn is out after signing Jordan Page. That leaves Louisville and Kentucky as the two schools Calipari is competing with.

Henry has only one visit left, and it is with Kentucky very soon. That means Arkansas got one of the last in there, which can make the impression needed to land him. Right now, Arkansas seems to be the favorite to land the forward.

Even if Calipari fails to get the commit from Henry, it seems as though Black is a lock at the moment. As previously mentioned, it would take an insane pitch and an absurd amount of NIL to pull Black away from Arkansas.

Henry announced he will decide early in November, and Black is not far behind. Still, with Gibson off the table, it is a great sign that Calipari is close to signing the number one and fourth-best recruit in the 2027 class.

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