JONESBORO, Ark. (4/29/25) – Arkansas State men's basketball head coach Ryan Pannone announced Tuesday the addition of transfer TJ Caldwell to the 2025-26 squad.

Caldwell joins the Red Wolves after spending the last three seasons at Ole Miss. A four-star prospect and top-100 player out of high school, the Dallas, Texas, native redshirted this past season for the Rebels. In his three seasons in Oxford, he appeared in 63 games and averaged 5.1 points per game.   

"TJ Caldwell, a transfer from Ole Miss, is a strong, athletic, quick guard who has an ability to break the paint to create rim pressure and create high-value shots for our team, as well as draw fouls and create layups or threes for himself or his teammates," Pannone said. "He learned from a great defensive coach in Chris Beard, so we expect him to be a strong defensive presence for us with his ability to contain the dribble and keep people in front. TJ will bring a lot of value to us offensively and defensively with his speed, quickness, toughness, and athleticism, and we're excited that he's going to be able to utilize those talents to help us win games."

In 2023-24, Caldwell played in 32 games averaging 18.5 minutes per contest. He shot 39.1 percent from the field and was a 35.1-percent shooter from 3-point range, going 20-for-57, along with a boasting a 74.5-percent mark from the free-throw line. Caldwell averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds, with a career-high 18 points coming on Jan. 30, 2024, versus rival Mississippi State – a game in which he made a career-best four treys.

As a rookie in 2022-23, Caldwell made 31 appearances with seven starts, averaging 4.7 points and shooting 33.3 percent from the field. He also shot 78.8 percent from the foul line and doled out 38 assists. Caldwell scored a season-high 12 points in back-to-back games at Oklahoma State on Jan. 28, and versus Kentucky on Jan. 31.
 
Ranked 97^th in ESPN 100's rankings, Caldwell was ranked as the No. 19 shooting guard in the nation and No. 10 player from the state of Texas in the ESPN 100. He was an All-State and All-Region selection at Faith Family Academy, while also being a First-Team All-District honoree. In 2022, he was named the TABC Class 4A Player of the Year and helped his team to three UIL Class 4A Texas State Championships (2019, 2020, 2022). Also in 2022, Caldwell was selected to participate in the 24K Showcase at the 2022 Iverson Classic.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the A-State men's basketball program, follow @AStateMB on Twitter/X and @astatemb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateMB.