Arkansas Basketball's latest star has deep Razorback roots

This weekend, the Arkansas Razorbacks are playing in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League as part of their four-game exhibition tour, and after one game, it's safe to say the team is looking every bit as talented as anticipated.

While many of the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball players who suited up for the game against the Bahamas National Team are new to Hogs fans, one player has a unique connection to Fayetteville that goes back decades.

JJ Andrews is following his father's path to Arkansas stardom

Freshman wing JJ Andrews is already beginning to establish his own identity with the Hogs, but longtime Arkansas fans should be very familiar with his last name.

During his time at Arkansas, offensive tackle Shawn Andrews was one of the most dominant and decorated players in Razorback football history. Under head coach Houston Nutt, Shawn Andrews earned consensus first-team All-American honors in 2002 before becoming a unanimous selection in 2003. He was then taken by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 16th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Andrews was the first sophomore in Arkansas history to earn first-team All-American honors, and he won the SEC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the conference's best blocker in both 2002 and 2003. During his final season in Fayetteville, he was also named a finalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award while helping Arkansas lead the SEC and rank fifth nationally in rushing offense.

Even more impressively, Andrews allowed only two sacks across 35 career games. He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2009 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, cementing his place among the greatest offensive linemen in program history.

Although injuries prevented Andrews from maintaining that dominance for as long as many expected, his peak in Philadelphia was still elite. He earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2006 and consecutive Pro Bowl selections in 2006 and 2007 before eventually being named to the Eagles' 75th Anniversary Team.

Now, it's Shawn Andrews' son who is making headlines for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

JJ Andrews was a five-star recruit at Little Rock Christian Academy before signing with John Calipari as part of the Arkansas Razorbacks' No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class. In his first exhibition game, he gave Arkansas fans a glimpse of his immense potential, scoring 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting with five rebounds and three steals.

Andrews also shot 1-of-2 from three-point range and finished with a plus-38 rating, tying Billy Richmond III for the best mark on the team. In a game filled with highly touted newcomers, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound 5-star freshman looked comfortable defending on the perimeter and turning turnovers into immediate offense.

JJ Andrews had already built an impressive Arkansas legacy of his own before arriving in Fayetteville. The two-time Gatorade Arkansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year was a four-time All-State selection, a 2026 McDonald's All-American, and the No. 1 player in the state, concluding his career with 2,865 points -- the fifth-highest total in Arkansas high school history.

John Calipari's 2026-27 Arkansas basketball team has one of the deepest guard/wing rotations in the country, so every minute will have to be earned by Andrews once the regular season begins. Still, a 16-point debut showcased why Calipari made the hometown star one of the crown jewels of his latest recruiting class.

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