SOURCE: Arkansas pursuing big man in portal

A trusted source to Hawg Country has shared that the Razorback Men’s Basketball team is in pursuit of a mid-major big man.

North Dakota State’s Grant Nelson (6’10 215 pounds) is receiving heavy interest from Arkansas and Eric Musselman to improve depth in the post. He was projected to be a second round selection in this year’s NBA Draft. Nelson has now decided to keep his collegiate options open and pursue a possible transfer.

Nelson experienced a career season for the Bison in 2022-23 averaging 17.6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game. He shot the ball well from the field (52-percent) and 30-percent from three during his three year career in Fargo.

Arkansas is looking for another big man or two with experience to combat the elite bigs they’ve faced a few times during the NCAA Tournament. Nelson’s addition would mean that Arkansas could continue to space the floor in certain situations – similar to how they have with Trevon Brazile. This would also cause Arkansas to play more position-less basketball – similar to what Musselman implemented in his first season as head coach.

One other program that is linked to Nelson is Creighton. The Jays were one of the hottest teams down the stretch making it to the Elite Eight and edged out Arkansas in Maui last season.

There has been no official offer reported on either side but this is a fluid situation.

During this round of the transfer portal Arkansas has added five guards including El Ellis (Louisville), Khalif Battle (Temple), Keyon Menifield (Washington), Jeremiah Davenport (Cincinnati) and Tramon Mark (Houston).