All great things in life must come to an end and that stayed true for John Calipari’s run at Kentucky. The 65-year-old head coach took over the job in 2009-10. He’d been with the Wildcats for the last 15 seasons until a bombshell report by ESPN insider Pete Thamel.
The legendary head coach informed Kentucky that he was moving on and taking the head coaching job at Arkansas. A wild turn of events as Calipari leaves the Wildcats but stays in the SEC. He’s signed a five-year deal to become the next head coach of the Razorbacks. Quite the splash hire by Arkansas. Will John Calipari be able to have immediate success with the Razorbacks? We’ll have to wait and see.
After 15 seasons, John Calipari has parted ways with Kentucky to become the newest head coach at Arkansas
Breaking: John Calipari is finalizing a five-year deal to become the next coach at Arkansas. The deal is expected to be completed in the next 24 hours, sources tell @PeteThamel. pic.twitter.com/Gw1rQRyJtU
— ESPN (@espn) April 8, 2024
College basketball savant John Fanta noted that John Calipari being hired by Arkansas is a major splash hiring. Fanta said that Calipari’s relationship with John Tyson helped get the legendary head coach at Arkansas. John Tyson’s family is a major donor to the Arkansas athletic program. Now, the 65-year-old head coach is taking on a new challenge with the Razorbacks. While this may be considered a step back from where he was, Calipari could reshape Arkansas’ basketball program.
Over 15 seasons with the Wildcats, John Calipari made the NCAA tournament 12 times. Kentucky won the National Championship in 2012 and had four Final Four appearances with Calipari. He leaves Kentucky with a 410-123 record. Calipari leaving was all a domino effect started by SMU. Rob Lanier was fired by the Mustangs after two seasons. The team then poached USC’s Andy Enfield to be their next head coach. Former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman left the Razorback and is now with USC. That left an opening at Arkansas that was then filled by John Calipari.
An absolute shell shocker in college basketball: John Calipari is the head coach at the University of Arkansas. Breaking down an insane turn of events: pic.twitter.com/lrsue7cdcT
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 8, 2024
Reportedly, Arkansas went after Kansas State’s Jerome Tang and Ole Miss’ Chris Beard. Both coaches informed the Razorbacks they were staying with their respective teams. Arkansas next target was John Calipari and they were able to get a deal done. Calipari’s end at Kentucky was stale and the team continued to fizzle out in the NCAA tournament. Now, the 2014-15 AP Coach of the Year is getting a fresh start with the Razorbacks. In 2023, Arkansas finished 16-17. What will Calipari be able to do in his first season?
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