MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas University Men's Basketball team welcomes their new 2025-26 recruiting class as they prepare for a new season under second year Head Coach Mark Rutledge.
 
The class consists of three freshman acquisitions along with nine transfers. Out of the transfers, there are three division I transfers, one division II transfer, and five junior college transfers. These new players come from all over the country including four players from Arkansas, three from Tennessee, two from Louisiana, one from Alabama, one from Oklahoma, and one from Ohio. The class also consists of a range of experience as the men bring in four seniors, five juniors, and three freshmen.
 
"We are extremely excited about our 2025-26 roster class," stated Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "We lost some very important pieces from last year's squad and really needed to land some impact guys in recruiting. We believe we did that. With a mix of experience and young talent we believe Mulerider nation will love watching this year's group."
 
The 2025-26 recruiting class is as follows including a short paragraph about each player in the class from Coach Rutledge.
 
Jair Horton (6'6" Forward | Senior | Nashville, TN) – "Jair brings a toughness and grit that we felt like we needed to compete for championships," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Having won a conference and regular season championship at Walters State, we believed his winning experience was a must have. His leadership and character have made a significant impact on our team and in our community already. Jair's ability to play multiple positions offensively and guard multiple positions defensively is something that we really valued." 
 
Greg Moore Jr. (6'4" Guard | Senior | Knoxville, TN) – "Greg's experience at the division one level and his ability to score the ball will play a major role for our success this year," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Greg and Jair were both junior college teammates and won championships together. That experience was very important to us. His work ethic and competitiveness have been infectious with this group. Greg's passion for contributing to our community and his teammates fit our core values. We're extremely excited for what he adds to our family."
 
Kendal Parker (6'4" Guard | Senior | Montgomery, AL) – "KP is a talented wing that adds size, skill and athleticism to our roster," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "His experience and performances verses high level talent at the division one level is something that really impressed us. KP's joy for the game and desire to compete has paid dividends for our culture and our locker room. He makes everyone around him better on and off the court. We're glad to have him with us."
 
Troy'reon Ramos (5'11" Guard | Senior | Pine Bluff, AR) – "Troy brings a championship pedigree and division two experience that we desperately needed," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "While at St. Thomas Aquinas he played a major role guiding his team to a sweet 16 appearance while defeating the number one team in the nation on the way to the Northeast region championship game. Troy also won a conference championship while at South Ark Community College where he was a standout scorer, scoring 42 points in his last game with South Ark in the National Tournament. Troy is a dynamic scorer, a winner and most importantly he's a high character person. We are thankful to have Troy'reon with us." 
 
Albert Wilson III (6'6" Forward | Junior | Cleveland, OH) – "Albert comes to SAU after two years at Northeastern Oklahoma community college where he was one of the most efficient players in the country," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Albert is a physical, versatile, and skilled forward that can stretch the floor with his jump shot. While at NEO Albert's record was 51-13. His versatility and experience winning games is something that really got us excited. He is a presence defensively and offensively. Albert's desire to serve and help others made him a no brainer. We had to have him."
 
JaKourion Key (6'5" Guard | Junior | Dubach, LA) – "JaKourion has a chance to be the most athletic player in our league. He really makes us dynamic offensively and defensively,
 said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Him being a 3^rd team NJCAA All-American gives us a huge lift in talent. What's even better is that Key and Troy'reon Ramos won a championship together at South Ark. Key's cousin Sue Key made a major impact here at SAU for our WBB program. We look for JaKourion to play a similar role. We're very fortunate to have him."
 
Braylan McNeal (6'7" Guard | Junior | Bernice, LA) – "Braylan was a late surprise for us. When he became available, we had to have him," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Braylan gives us versatility, length and athleticism. He has shown an ability to guard 1-5. Braylan was an All-Region player for Bossier Parish Community College and for two seasons he was an elite rebounder while averaging over 2 steals a game in a very tough conference. We believe that Braylan's ability and character made him a very important addition to the Mulerider family." 
 
Carter Metz (6'0" Guard | Junior | Rogersville, TN) – "Carter has done nothing in his career but win. His IQ and ability to shoot and make plays for others is something that we really valued," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "It also was a major plus for us knowing that he too won a championship at Walters State with Jair and Greg. His efficiency and pass first mentality are something we really believed our group needed. His toughness and integrity make him the perfect fit for our program."
 
John Probey (6'6" Guard | Sophomore | Edmond, OK) – "We cannot say enough about how excited we are for John. His length, athleticism and ability to shoot the ball will make him a major contributor," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Probey only being a sophomore makes us even more excited about the impact he will have now and into the future for the Muleriders. In his freshman year at Hesston College John was third team All-Conference with multiple 20 plus scoring games including a 35-point output at Fort Scott. John's love for family aligns with ours. We are thankful to have him in a SAU jersey."
 
Zane Pennington (6'4" Forward | Freshman | Hot Springs, AR) – "It was important to build for the future, and we are extremely grateful to have Zane join our squad. And yes, he is following in the footsteps of Mom, Dad and big brother," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Zane's physicality and athleticism is something that we were extremely impressed by. His talent and character made adding him a very easy decision. In Zane's senior season he played a major role averaging 24ppg and finished third all-time in scoring at Lake Hamilton. We are very excited about adding Zane to the family." 
 
Jayce Tillman (6'5" Guard | Freshman | Jacksonville, AR) – "Another key piece to the future of our program; Jayce was a very important add," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "He played a key role this past season, helping Maumelle high school to reach the State Championship game. Jayce's work ethic and character is something that we truly valued. He works very hard and has a unique mix of size, skill and athleticism. We are proud to call Jayce a Mulerider."
 
Junior Williams (6'6" Forward | Freshman | Magnolia, AR) – "To round out our freshmen class, Junior was a critical get," said Head Coach Mark Rutledge. "Junior has a high IQ and skill that is unique for his age and his position. We were extremely impressed with his leadership at Magnolia High School. A proven winner and leader, the hometown kid was one of our top priorities in this off season. We look for him to make an immediate impact."
 
The Muleriders 2025-26 schedule kicks off with an exhibition game against Houston Christian University in Houston, Texas. The Blue and Gold then have a tough non-conference schedule and will begin their Great American Conference schedule with three straight home games starting on December 4th as they host Southern Nazarene to open GAC play. For full details on the 2025-26 schedule visit muleriderathletics.com for more information.
 
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