The Deal Is Reportedly Being Finalized, John Calipari Is About To Leave Kentucky For Arkansas

In news that certainly shocked the college basketball world on Sunday night, John Calipari is currently in talks with Arkansas to become the new head coach. 

According to multiple reports, and confirmed by OutKick, the Razorbacks have had discussions with Calipari about leaving Kentucky and resetting his coaching clock in Fayettville. Pete Thamel reported that Calipari is finalizing a five-year deal to become the head coach, barring any hiccups.

Coming off a season that once again had the Wildcats sitting at home for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, there was thought that AD Mitch Barnhart might decide to move on from Calipari. 

But, as we all watched play out in the days following the loss to Oakland, the Kentucky administration decided it was best that Calipari returns for another season. 

The situation in Lexington has obviously been tense over the past few years, as the mantra ‘Built For March’ continued to fall on its face, with Kentucky fans voicing their displeasure with the current coaching staff.  

For Arkansas, this could be one of the biggest coaching hires we've seen in the past decade. After Eric Musselman loudly left Fayetteville for USC, athletic director Hunter Yurachek had conversations with Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, which did not end with the Rebels coach leaving Oxford. 

But one man's trash is another man's gold, as the old saying goes. This might end up being the best thing to happen to Arkansas basketball since the Nolan Richardson era, at least from the outside looking in. 

Calipari has been at Kentucky for 15 years, leading them to a national championship in 2012. 

During his time in Lexington, the Wildcats have appeared in three Final Fours and made twelve trips to the NCAA Tournament. Though this looks impressive on paper, the past five seasons have been nothing short of a massive disappointment for the Cats. 

One SEC Tournament win in the past five seasons, along with only one NCAA Tournament win in the past three years, was not cutting it for Kentucky donors and fans. Following the loss to Oakland, the Kentucky coach appeared on his radio show to close-out the season where he tried to energize the fanbase by telling them to come together for the future. 

"My commitment is, I am going to work. I am not changing. I am going 24-7 and I am not going to change," Calipari said during his radio show. "This is what I wanted and this is why I never left. Let's come together and let's do something special. We have done it before, so let’s do it again."

As for what could potentially happen with these negotiations, it's worth noting that John Calipari would not owe Kentucky any type of buyout money. 

One of the main problems with Kentucky moving on from its head coach following this season was, in large part, due to the $33 million buyout Calipari would be owed. 

Now, this could end up working out for both schools. 

There are certainly a lot of differences between the two schools, but money isn't one of them. The Razorbacks have just as much money to spend on NIL as any other school in the country, especially with the basketball program. If Calipari took the Arkansas job, he would not have to worry about spending money to continue attracting high-profile players to Fayetteville. 

Obviously, the line to interview for the Kentucky job would wrap around the athletic department building, and this could be one of the most coveted openings in recent memory. 

We will see where this goes from here, but John Calipari to Arkansas is a real conversation being held right now, and it's close to being done.