The Kentucky Wildcats have been coached by longtime head coach John Calipari for the last 15 seasons. But on Sunday, that all changed in an absolutely shocking turn of events.
Speculation began to emerge on Sunday night, with reports that the Arkansas Razorbacks were “eyeing” Calipari as a candidate to potentially fill their head coaching vacancy after Eric Musselman’s recent departure.
Multiple sources are telling me Arkansas has zeroed in on John Calipari. Barring any last minute issues, I expect him to be the Razorbacks new head coach. pic.twitter.com/L9BSQHFzqW
— Wess Moore (@Wess_Moore) April 8, 2024
Things progressed quite quickly throughout the night. And ultimately, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Calipari has agreed to a five-year deal to become the new Razorbacks head coach.
Sources: 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.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 8, 2024
It’s certainly a surprising turn of events, particularly because he will now be coaching against Kentucky in the SEC.
Much has been made about Calipari’s recent failures in the NCAA Tournament. But there are some pretty obvious positives about having a coach like Calipari at the helm, especially his ability to recruit at an extremely high level.
Naturally, fans had plenty to say about the move, taking to social media to offer their opinion on Calipari’s departure.
How crazy are videos like this to look back on?
What a difference 71 days can make…
John Calipari, set to become the 14th Head Men's Basketball Coach in Arkansas history. #WPS pic.twitter.com/M0FPrrbGNa
— Jacob Morris (@JacobMorrisTV) April 8, 2024
I’M EATING TYSON CHICKEN EVERY MEAL FOR THE NEXT SIXTH MONTHS
JOHN CALIPARI WELCOME TO FAYETTEVILLE pic.twitter.com/qiSx7LF5uv
— Will Whitson (@will_whitson2) April 8, 2024
John Calipari at Kentucky:
(2009-2024)– 2012 National Title💍
– 4 Final Fours
– Five 30+ win seasons
– Two 38-win seasons (most ever)
– 38-0 start in 2014-15
– 12 total SEC titles
– Founder of the One and Done era
– Most NBA players produced by farWhat an era.🐐 pic.twitter.com/QWiqIrAGZW
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) April 8, 2024
John Calipari and Bobby Petrino are technically coworkers now, lmao
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) April 8, 2024
Kentucky fans should be extremely appreciative for everything John Calipari has done. He picked up the program when it was stranded on the side of the road in 2009. But he's taken it as far as he can. And that's okay.
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) April 8, 2024
As for the possible reasoning for Calipari’s departure, Fox college basketball analyst John Fanta hinted at Calipari reportedly having “bad feelings” about his current situation at Kentucky, feeling like he had a “lack of support”.
Sources close to John Calipari say he had bad feelings about his situation at Kentucky, and that the lack of support had grown to the point where he didn’t feel like he could stay on because he didn’t feel wanted. The assets Arkansas put in place convinced him to make this move.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 8, 2024
This could actually be a move that works out quite well for both sides. For Kentucky, it offers the program a chance at a fresh start, as it did seem like were starting to grow stale with Calipari as the coach.
For Arkansas, it could be a chance to bring in truly top-notch talent, something that Calipari has always been excellent at doing. And with more support, it certainly seems like this could be a pretty seamless fit.
Only time will tell how this works out for both programs. But regardless, this is certainly a big turning point for the college basketball landscape as a whole.
