Chance to play for Eric Musselman draws Vance Jackson to Arkansas.

When New Mexico combo forward Vance Jackson decided to transfer to the University of Arkansas, part of his reasoning was what a former player told him about Coach Eric Musselman.

Jackson, 6-9, 225 pounds, chose the Hogs on Wednesday after being in the transfer portal since only Monday.

“Players love his style, and I’ve been watching film and I love his style as well,” Jackson said.

Former Nevada guard Jazz Johnson, who transferred from Portland State to play for Musselman in 2017, told Jackson he had a very good experience playing under Musselman.

“Just basically said Muss is a terrific coach and even though we were rivals, he praised me when they did scouting against us when I was playing at New Mexico,” Jackson said. “I thought that was cool, and I like how he’s very disciplined and his willingness to push players to be the best.”

Jackson also had interest from Memphis, Louisville, Arizona State, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Washington State and several other programs.

He averaged 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 41.4% from the field, 34.2% from beyond the threepoint line and 71.4% from the freethrow line last season for the Lobos.

He averaged

13.1 points, 7 rebounds and

2.6 assists as a sophomore.

Jackson sees Musselman’s style of play as a great fit for his skill set.

“I fit in as a three-point shooter,” Jackson said. “I’m a position-less player. I can play all four positions. I’m experienced and I’ve played in huge games in my career, so playing in the SEC, that was a goal of mine to play on the big stage and it’s a great opportunity.”

While at Nevada, Musselman developed a relationship with Jackson when he was in the process of transferring from UConn in hopes of luring him to Reno. Jackson ultimately chose New Mexico.

ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi rated Jackson a four-star prospect, the No. 15 small forward and No. 78 overall prospect for the 2016 class coming out of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.

Biancardi, who was a college coach for more than 20 years, was named Horizon League coach of the year in 2004 while the head coach at Wright State. He was an assistant at St. Louis, Ohio State and Boston College.

He believes there’s a lot to like about Jackson.

“His best and biggest strengths come in three areas,” Biancardi said. “He shot 39.7% behind the arc as a frosh at UConn. Very effective as a stretch four-man. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and beat slower bigs off the dribble. Jackson can and will be post-up mismatches. “As a senior in high school, he was in the ESPN 100, so the talent has always been there. His effort needs to be better and more consistent to be a real factor in the SEC.”

Jackson is excited about his decision to become a Razorback.

“I want a coach that trusts in me and in my abilities, and a team where I could see myself help get some wins,” he said. “That was like my main focus.”

Jackson