Arkansas Basketball’s Major Coup: Securing John Calipari as the New Coach

According to CBS Sports sources, Kentucky coach John Calipari is poised to sign a contract to become Arkansas’ next coach. Calipari met with a number of Kentucky sports executives on Monday afternoon, but UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart was not among them, according to CBS Sports. Calipari has yet to sign a contract with Arkansas, and he has not formally informed Barnhart that he is leaving, but the split is anticipated to take place on Tuesday.

Calipari and Arkansas’ power players engaged in significant conversations over the weekend, and by Sunday night, the school and Calipari had reached a verbal agreement, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. According to one source, Calipari’s hiring as Arkansas coach is “imminent” and may be formalized as early as Tuesday.

Calipari’s contract is likely to be for five years and worth more than $8 million. The school’s greatest benefactors are also likely to contribute millions more into Arkansas’ NIL collective, potentially propelling the program to the top of the list in the sport for the most resources.

According to Norlander, the family of John Tyson, Arkansas Athletics’ largest donor, is willing to make a significant commitment to hire Calipari and invest millions in the men’s basketball team. Calipari has a long-standing close friendship with the Tyson family.

Calipari has led the Wildcats program for the past 15 seasons and would stay in the SEC to replace Eric Musselman, who took the open post at USC earlier this month, if he accepted an offer to become Arkansas’ next coach.

Barnhart told CBS Sports on Sunday night that Calipari had not informed him of his discussions with Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek about potentially being the next Arkansas coach. However, sources say UK officials learned over the weekend from third parties that Calipari was looking at Arkansas and vice versa. The conditions of Calipari’s contract with Kentucky require him to notify Barnhart if he contacts another school regarding a job interview.

Calipari, 65, joined Kentucky in 2009 after spending nine seasons at Memphis. Calipari also served as an assistant coach at Kansas (1982-85) and Pittsburgh (1985-88), before becoming the head coach at UMass from 1988 to 1996. Calipari dabbled in the NBA, coaching the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) from 1996 to 1999 and serving as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1999-2000.

Calipari’s talks with Arkansas follow his annual meeting with Barnhart at the end of each season. After that discussion, it was decided that Calipari would return for his 16th season with the program. The two appeared on local television as a show of good faith for the future.

“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart stated in March.

The Wildcats’ season concluded with a loss to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, infuriating the fan base and sparking considerable speculation about Calipari’s future at the school. Kentucky’s loss against the Golden Grizzlies prevented them from reaching the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend for the third consecutive season. Kentucky missed the 2021 tournament after losing to Saint Peter’s and Kansas State in the previous two seasons.

Calipari has a 410-122 record in his 15 years at the school, including four Final Four trips (2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015) and coaching Kentucky’s final national title team in 2012.

Calipari is regarded as one of the top high school recruiters in the country. Kentucky had the top recruiting class in the 2023 cycle, with standouts Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw.

The Wildcats’ incoming recruiting class was ranked second in the country, trailing Duke. Five-star center Jayden Quaintance, four-star guard Boogie Fland, four-star center Somto Cyril, four-star guard Travis Perry, four-star guard Billy Richmond, and four-star forward Karter Knox are among those in the recruiting class.

According to CBS Sports, Calipari’s negotiations with Arkansas included discussions about bringing aboard his freshmen class as well as broader parameters for how he may recruit the transfer portal.

The Arkansas position became available after Musselman resigned to replace former USC coach Andy Enfield, who moved for the vacant post at SMU, which dismissed Rob Lanier after only two seasons. Musselman completed five seasons with Arkansas, helping the team to the Elite Eight twice and the Sweet 16 once. Arkansas had not advanced past the Sweet 16 since 1996, thanks to Musselman’s leadership.

The Razorbacks concluded the season with a 16-17 record (6-12 in SEC) and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Musselman’s leadership. Several Arkansas players, including Tramon Mark, Khalif Battle, and Davonte Davis, have already used the transfer site.