Kentucky coach John Calipari is expected to sign a contract to become the next coach at Arkansas, sources told CBS Sports. Calipari met with several Kentucky athletic administrators Monday afternoon, but UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart was not among them, a source told CBS Sports. Calipari has not yet signed a contract with Arkansas and has not personally formally informed Barnhart of his departure, but the breakup is expected to materialize at some point Tuesday.
According to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, Calipari and Arkansas' top players held serious talks over the weekend, and by Sunday night, the school and Calipari had reached a verbal agreement. A person familiar with the matter said Calipari's move to become the coach at Arkansas is “imminent” and a deal could be finalized as early as Tuesday.
Calipari's contract is for five years and is expected to earn him more than $8 million. The school's biggest donors are also expected to inject millions more into the Arkansas NIL Collective, potentially putting the program at the top of the list of sports' biggest funding pools. .
Officials told Norlander that the family of John Tyson, the largest donor to Arkansas Athletics, made a huge effort to acquire Calipari and pump millions of dollars into the men's basketball program. He says he is ready to make great efforts. Calipari has had a close relationship with the Tyson family for many years.
Calipari has spent the past 15 seasons leading the Wildcats program and if he accepts the offer to become the next coach at Arkansas, he will remain in the SEC to replace Eric Musselman, who was vacated by USC earlier this month. It turns out.
Barnhart told CBS Sports on Sunday night that he had not been notified by Calipari that he was in talks with Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek about potentially becoming the next head coach at Arkansas. But the people said British officials were told through a third party over the weekend that Calipari was investigating Arkansas, and vice versa. The terms of Calipari's contract with Kentucky state require him to notify Barnhart if he is involved with another school for a job interview.
Calipari, 65, took over at Kentucky in 2009 after nine seasons with Memphis. Calipari previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas (1982-1985) and the University of Pittsburgh (1985-88), and was the head coach at the University of Massachusetts from 1988-1996. Mr. Calipari entered the NBA world as a coach for the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) from 1996 to 1999, and as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1999-2000 season. spent the season.
The news that Calipari is in talks with Arkansas comes after his annual meeting with Barnhart, which occurs at the end of each season. The conclusion of that meeting was that Calipari would return for his 16th season with the program. The two appeared on local TV to show their sincerity.
“As we always do at the end of each season, Coach Calipari and I have been discussing the direction of the men's basketball program and can confirm that he will be returning for his 16th season as head coach.” Barnhart said last month.
The Wildcats' season ended with a loss to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a loss that infuriated fans and led to widespread speculation about Calipari's future with the school. Kentucky lost to the Golden Grizzlies, failing to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. Kentucky missed the tournament in 2021, losing to St. Peter's and Kansas State, respectively, the previous two seasons.
During his 15 years at the school, Calipari compiled a record of 410 wins, 122 losses, and four Final Four appearances (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), and was part of Kentucky's last national championship team in 2012. taught.
Calipari is known as one of the best high school recruiters in the country. Kentucky was the No. 1 overall recruiting class in the 2023 cycle with standout players like Reed Shepard, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw.
The Wildcats rank second in the nation in recruiting, behind only Duke. That recruiting class includes five-star center Jaden Quaintance, four-star guard Boogie Frando, four-star center Somto Cyril, four-star guard Travis Perry, and four-star guard Billy. -Richmond, including four-star forward Carter Knox.
Sources told CBS Sports that Calipari's negotiations with Arkansas include broadening the terms of how he enters the transfer portal, as well as bringing in his freshman class. It is said that this included discussions about coming.
The post at Arkansas became vacant after Musselman left to replace former University of Southern California coach Andy Enfield, who filled the vacancy at SMU that fired Rob Lanier after just two seasons. Musselman spent five seasons at Arkansas, helping the team reach the Elite Eight twice and the Sweet 16 once during his tenure. Before Musselman led Arkansas to the Sweet 16 in 2021, the school hadn't been that far since 1996.
The Razorbacks finished the season with a record of 16-17 (6-12 in the SEC) and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Musselman's tenure. Multiple Arkansas players have already entered the transfer portal, including Tramon Mark, Kalife Battle and Davonte Davis.