The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
UK’s Calipari era reportedly has ended after 15 seasons
LEXINGTON — After 15 seasons, the John Calipari era at Kentucky is reportedly over.
According to reports that began circulating Sunday night, Calipari will leave to take over at SEC rival Arkansas. Calipari would replace Eric Musselman, who left to become Southern Cal’s coach last week.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Calipari’s contract with the Razorback would be for five years. And according to national college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman, Calipari’s average annual salary is expected to range between $7.5 million and $8 million per year.
Calipari is scheduled to be paid $8.5 million by Kentucky for the 2023-24 season, per USA TODAY Sports’ coaching salary database. That ranked No. 2 nationally among all basketball coaches, trailing Kansas’ Bill Self (more than $9.4 million).
The news of Calipari’s potential departure to Arkansas came barely two weeks after UK’s shocking loss to 14-seed Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the second time in three seasons a double-digit seed bounced UK in its opening game in the Big Dance, following Saint Peter’s win as a 15-seed in 2022.
Calipari went 410-123 (.769) with the Wildcats, winning the national championship in 2012, finishing as the runnerup in 2014 and advancing to the Final Four on two other occasions (2011 and 2015). He also captured six SEC Tournament titles and won the league’s regularseason championship six times (sharing it once; Texas A&M in 2015-16).
Calipari ranks second in program history (to Hall of Famer Adolph Rupp) in length of tenure, overall victories, Final Four berths, SEC regular-season championships and conference tournament titles.
Combined with his stints at UMass and Memphis, Calipari has an 855-263 (.765) on-court record in 32 seasons as a college coach. (The NCAA recognizes Calipari’s record as 813-261 after it vacated his 38-2 season at Memphis during the 2007-08 campaign.) Calipari also spent three seasons as an NBA head coach, guiding the New Jersey Nets from 1996 to 1998, compiling a mark of 72-112 (.391).
UK’s next coach will aim to lead the program back to prominence in the SEC — the Wildcats haven’t won the regularseason title since 2020, nor captured the conference tournament crown since 2018 — and in March Madness, where it hasn’t reached the Sweet 16 in five years.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.