John Calipari will be leaving Kentucky after all.
Calipari has signed a five-year contract to become the next head coach at the University of Arkansas, according to multiple reports Sunday night. The deal is expected to close within the next 24 hours, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Source: John Calipari has signed a five-year contract to become the next coach at the University of Arkansas. The transaction is expected to close within the next 24 hours.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 8, 2024
The longtime Wildcats head coach replaces Eric Musselman, who left Arkansas earlier this month to take the open job at USC.
Negotiations between Arkansas and Calipari “intensified” over the weekend, according to a reporter for The Athletic. Calipari has previously called John Tyson, the billionaire owner of the Tyson Foods empire and major Arkansas donor, a “longtime friend.”
Calipari is reportedly the second-highest paid coach in the nation, earning more than $8.5 million per season, behind Kansas' Bill Self. Mr. Calipari's salary is more than double what Mr. Musselman was making at Arkansas. According to ESPN, the school offered Ole Miss coach Chris Beard about $5 million earlier this month, but that deal never materialized. Arkansas also approached Kansas State coach Jerome Tan about the job, but Tan remained in Manhattan.
Calipari has been at Kentucky since 2009 and had some dominant runs early in Lexington. The Wildcats reached the Final Four in his fourth of his first six seasons with the program and won the national title in 2012. Also, under his supervision he won the SEC regular season title six times.
But things seem to be a bit of a struggle for him lately. The Wildcats are just 1-4 in their last five NCAA Tournament games. This year, they lost in the first round to 14th seed Oakland. They also lost to No. 15 St. Peter's in 2022 as a No. 2 seed.
After their recent departures, the calls for Calipari's job became even louder, even with a $33 million contract buyout. Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirmed on social media after the tournament loss that Calipari would return for his 16th season with the program next fall, and said Calipari himself would be committed to getting the program back on track. Ta.
“That's the promise I make to my fans: Let's come together and do something special. We can do it. We've done it already. Let's do it again. United together,” Calipari said on his radio show last month. Let's do something special.'' ”
But now Calipari appears to have changed his mind. And a $33 million buyout won't work here because he's retiring himself.
Calipari will now be tasked with keeping Arkansas moving in the right direction after Musselman's departure. The Razorbacks went just 16-17 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament, but reached the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite Eight twice in Musselman's five years in Fayetteville. This was basketball's best record since his 1990s, when the program won its only national championship.
It's unclear who will replace Calipari at Kentucky, one of the most coveted jobs in the sport. But most of the nation's top jobs are already filled. No matter who takes that spot, it's sure to be a very heated battle next season when Calipari has to return to Rupp Arena for the first time with the Razorbacks.
