NCAA championship-winning head coach John Calipari and Kentucky Wildcats are heading their separate ways. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Calipari will leave the Wildcats to take the head coaching job at Arkansas.
Calipari is expected to sign a five-year contract with a salary that comes below the $8.5 million annually he was making with Kentucky. However, he would be able to earn more through performance-based incentives.
The blockbuster move wasn’t entirely unexpected. Calipari and Kentucky’s athletic department seemed to be at odds in recent years as the Wildcats underperformed. They haven’t made it to the Final Four since 2015 and failed to make it out of the Round of 32 since 2019.
Calipari joined Kentucky in 2009 and immediately made a big impact. In 2012, he led the Wildcats to their first NCAA championship since 1998 and made four Final Four appearances in his first six years in charge. However, things haven’t looked great in recent years, and a split might turn out to be the best outcome for both sides.
Arkansas recently saw head coach Eric Musselman leave for USC and is now making a big bet that Calipari can not only continue the impressive job Musselman was doing but also take the program to new heights. Razorbacks have been waiting for a Final Four appearance since 1995.
