Billy Richmond III will return to Arkansas basketball for the 2026-27 season, the program confirmed Wednesday, ending a brief stretch in which he explored the NBA draft while preserving his collegiate eligibility.
Richmond declared for the draft on April 24 and tested the waters, including a stint at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago from May 12-14. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.1 steals this season, was one of three Razorbacks to play in all 37 games, scored in double figures 21 times and was voted to the 2026 SEC All-Defensive Team by the league's coaches. In SEC action he shot 57.4 percent, second-best in the league.
The return was not a straight line. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein first reported that Richmond was keeping his name in the NBA draft, then later said he had "switched course". A source with Arkansas told the Southwest Times Record that Richmond will play for the Razorbacks next year and will not stay in the NBA Draft. The deadline to withdraw and retain college eligibility passed Wednesday.
Richmond had been listed in most public projections as a consensus second-round pick while he evaluated professional interest. The NBA Draft is set for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and Richmond's participation in pre-draft events gave him a look from teams weighing late-second-round and two-way candidates.
The Razorbacks are still awaiting a decision from Meleek Thomas. Meleek Thomas has been projected to be a late first-round pick, and Arkansas coach John Calipari said this spring, "I’m going to see if we can get Meleek [Thomas] in the first round somewhere. See about Billy [Richmond], see if we can get him in the first round somewhere. They may come back if they’re not in that first round."
The timing highlights the narrow margin college players face when testing the draft. Richmond declared April 24, gathered feedback at the combine and then had to decide by Wednesday whether to remain in the draft and forfeit his remaining eligibility. His choice to return preserves a reliable guard for a Razorbacks team that reached the Sweet 16 for a second straight season.
There is friction between the public signals and the outcome. Rothstein’s initial report that Richmond would stay in the draft, followed by the reversal, underscores how fluid early summer decisions can be. The Southwest Times Record confirmation and the missed withdrawal deadline now lock Richmond back into Arkansas’ roster planning for 2026-27.
Richmond’s return gives Arkansas a proven, defensively decorated guard who was productive and durable across 37 games. What happens next is straightforward and consequential: the Razorbacks will learn whether they keep an additional projected first-round talent. If Meleek Thomas turns pro and is selected in June, Arkansas will enter next season without a player projected in the first round; if Thomas returns, the program keeps a duo that drew NBA interest and helped sustain consecutive Sweet 16 runs.
