Arkansas center Baye Fall plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Arkansas Razorbacks center Baye Fall plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

Baye Fall is a native of Denver, Colorado and came to Arkansas as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the fifth-ranked power forward and the 31st-ranked player nationally in that cycle. He is a former McDonald’s All-American.

In his one season at Arkansas, Baye Fall played in nine games for the Razorbacks, averaging five minutes per game. He finished the season averaging 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.

That freshman season for Baye Fall was part of a disappointing one for the Razorbacks. Arkansas went just 16-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament. That comes after making at least the Sweet 16 in the previous three seasons.

This decision comes at an interesting time for the Arkansas program. There were some concerns about head coach Eric Musselman and his job security. However, since then, Musselman reportedly interviewed for the open USC Trojans job. Since then, he has reportedly become the leader to get the USC job, and while he’s still at Arkansas, there is a chance that could change soon. If it does, then Arkansas is going to be thrown into a new coaching search.

Of course, players commit to play for a particular coach and when a change occurs, it’s not uncommon in modern college sports to see heavy turnover through the Transfer Portal.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

Arkansas and the Transfer Portal

This year, the men’s college basketball Transfer Portal opened up on March 18th. That was the day following Selection Sunday, making for frustrating timing for many coaches and teams who had a postseason tournament to play. It will be open for 45 days from that point.

To this point, six Arkansas Razorbacks have entered the Transfer Portal. That number does not yet include Baye Fall, as he only intends to enter and hasn’t done so yet. However, Eric Musselman has also been active in recruiting from the portal, landing UMass center Josh Cohen.

Eric Musselman has been active in the Transfer Portal in the past, especially last year. In 2023, the Razorbacks added seven players from the portal. So, whether Musselman moves on or stays, it looks like the team will once again heavily use the portal.