John Calipari has left Kentucky to take the head coaching job at Arkansas. John Calipari has been the head basketball coach at Kentucky for 15 years and has been to four Final 4’s and won 1 National Championship.

However, in recent years the Wildcats are 1-3 in the NCAA tournament and have not advanced to the Elite 8 since the 2018-2019 season. Kentucky lost to #15 seed Saint Peters in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament. Kentucky also lost in the first round to #14 seed Oakland in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Kentucky basketball program has very high expectations and the fan base has been frustrated with the lack of production in the NCAA tournament. There had been talks of Calipari not returning next season, and then Kentucky said he would be back. Well those plans changed, Calipari has taken the job in Arkansas where he will have a lot of resources and a fresh start. Calipari is finalizing a 5-year contract with Arkansas.

Most Kentucky fans are happy with seeing him move and want a fresh start. This is a win-win for both schools and Kentucky also gets out of paying Calipari over $30 million with him taking another job.

Who will Kentucky hire as their next head coach? Baylor coach Scott Drew should be at the top of their leaderboard. He is one of the best coaches in the country.

John Calipari will have a great chance to have a lot of success at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been a pretty good basketball program in recent years with 3 straight Sweet 16 appearances from 2021-2023.

John Calipari is good friends with Billionaire and Arkansas alum John Tyson and another Billionaire alumni is Jerry Jones. With these relationships and funding Calipari will not lack resources in any category. Calipari will have plenty of money to spend for NIL rumored to have $5 million a year for NIL.

Calipari is going to have success, he is going to be refocused and a fresh slate from the fan base. It will be interesting to see how both programs perform over the next couple of years.