Kentucky coach John Calipari finalizing five-year deal with Arkansas, reports say
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) -- Longtime Kentucky coach John Calipari is reportedly finalizing a five-year deal with Arkansas.
Multiple outlets reported late Sunday that the Moon Township native and Clarion graduate was in negotiations to potentially leave Kentucky, where he's been the head coach for the last 15 years.
ESPN's Pete Thamel says that the deal is expected to be finalized by late Monday night.
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
Calipari was back in Pittsburgh last month for the first round of the NCAA Tournament and his Kentucky Wildcats fell victim to an upset at the hands of 14-seed Oakland at PPG Paints Arena.
It was the third straight early exit from the NCAA Tournament for Kentucky.
Last year, Kentucky lost in the second round of the tournament and two years ago, they were a 2-seed and lost to 15-seed Saint Peters in the opening round.
In his 15 years at Kentucky, Calipari has a 410-122 record, four Final Four appearances, and one national championship, which the team won in 2012.
Shortly after Kentucky's season ended last month, Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said that Calipari would be returning for a 16th season despite numerous calls for his firing.
If Calipari had been fired, it would have triggered a $33 million buyout, but there is no buyout built into his contract if he leaves for another job.
In his 32 seasons as a college basketball head coach, Calipari has compiled an 813-260 record.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.