University of Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors and his staff landed another high-profile transfer Friday when former Connecticut guard Saylor Poffenbarger signed with the Razorbacks after taking an official visit earlier in the week.
She arrived in Fayetteville last Sunday and left on Tuesday. Poffenbarger recently announced plans to transfer from the Huskies after appearing in 12 games as a freshman. She enrolled at the school in January.
Poffenbarger had previous relationships with Neighbors, associate head coach Todd Schaefer and assistants Pauline Love and Lacey Goldwire after being recruited by the Razorbacks in high school.
“When I got on campus, it was just home,” Poffenbarger said. “That’s the only way I can describe it. My family and I before I decided to commit, it’s just like a home feeling. Everyone in Arkansas is so connected. All the coaches, all the players, all the staff whether it’s academic or athletic director, everyone was on the same page.”
Neighbors has also landed other high-profile transfers like Chelsea Dungee (Oklahoma), Amber Ramirez (TCU), Destiny Slocum (Oregon State) and Sasha Goforth (Oregon State) during his tenure with the Razorbacks.
Arkansas announced Poffenbarger's signing several minutes after her pledge.
“My staff continues to amaze me in their ability to cultivate and maintain the relationships so vital to recruiting the best student-athletes to be Razorbacks,” Neighbors said. “That, coupled with the unprecedented success of all 19 sports on our campus right now, we have truly created a competitive village that elite players want to be a part of.
"When you walk through the Jones Center, you see SEC Champions and National Champions. You see people who are chasing excellence. Saylor Poffenbarger is exactly that. Razorback fans will sense that immediately and she will impact our team, university and city for the next four years.”
Poffenbarger, 6-2, was Ms. Maryland in basketball while playing at Middletown, Md. She signed with Connecticut in the 2021 class.
She was an ESPN 4-star prospect, the No. 13 guard and No. 30 overall recruit in the nation.
Poffenbarger was a member of the Team USA squad that won gold at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. She averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the tournament.
She is expected to enroll in January and practice and travel with the team and be eligible to play next season.
Goldwire is a god-sister to Poffenbarger, who will have four years of eligibility. Goldwire’s mother, Tami, and Poffenbarger’s mother, Amy, became close friends after crossing paths in Oklahoma City.
“When Lacey was younger...and Tiffany, her sister, were younger, my mom was like always around,” Poffenbarger said. “Tami, her mom, had asked if my mom would be the god-mom if anything happened to them. I just grew up close to them.”