Who is Meleek Thomas? Meet the Arkansas Razorbacks' elite 2025 commit
Meleek Thomas, who signed with Arkansas earlier this month, is a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard as well as the No. 11 overall prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports, while ESPN has him at No. 9. Thomas, 6-foot-4, plays for the City Reapers of Overtime Elite, which offers a platform to elite emerging high school basketball talents.
Thomas was born in Pittsburgh. He scored 1,750 points in three seasons at Lincoln Park Performing Arts High School (in Midland, Pennsylvania) before moving on to the Atlanta-based eight-team league this season.
His older brother, Shawndale Jones, played at the New Jersey Institute of Technology before three seasons at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There, he was a Division II All-American guard as well as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Athlete of the Year in 2022-23.
Why did Meleek Thomas Choose Arkansas?
Meleek Thomas heard from big names like Duke, Kansas and Kentucky and had Pittsburgh and UConn in his final three schools before choosing Arkansas.
"Just the love they showed," Thomas told 247Sports. "They showed love to my family — not only to me but also to my family."
New Arkansas coach John Calipari has a history of guards who went on to NBA success, including John Wall, and Thomas can fall into that line.
Thomas and point guard Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 8 in ESPN's 2025 class) gave the Razorbacks a pair of five-star signees and, with four-star small forward Isaiah Sealy (No. 55), vaulted Arkansas to the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation. Both were named to the Naismith Trophy Boys High School Player of the Year watch list.
Thomas is an all-around player.
Last season at Lincoln Park, he averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game as the school won back-to-back 4A PIAA championships. The stats point to his ability to score, make plays for teammates and guard.
And his leadership qualities are as pertinent as his skills, with coaches and teammates raving about his concentration and energy. He raises the performance level of those around him and is just what Arkansas needs: competitors who can win Southeastern Conference championships and be contenders on those deep NCAA Tournament rides.