FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's officially official— John Calipari will replace Eric Musselman as head coach of the Razorbacks.
The longtime Kentucky head coach will replace Musselman, who recently announced his departure from Arkansas to coach at the University of Southern California (USC).
"Hall of Famer John Calipari is officially the head of the Arkansas Razorbacks," Arkansas Razorback Men's Basketball announced in a post on X.
The U of A announced that Calipari signed a five-year contract with a salary beginning at $7 million per season. That contract runs through April 30, 2029, with a maximum of two automatic rollover years for NCAA Tournament appearances that would extend the contract to 2031.
The deal also includes a $1 million signing bonus and retention bonuses of $500,000 each year of the contract, the U of A said.
Calipari will be officially inducted on Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m. in Bud Walton Arena and is open to the public. Fans should enter the south entrance of Bud Walton Arena. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Public parking is available in Lots 46, 56, 56B, and 60, with the exception of resident reserved parking spaces.
Saying goodbye to Kentucky
On April 9, Calipari said a heartfelt goodbye to the Kentucky program after 15 seasons where he led them to seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and one national championship title.
In the announcement, Calipari said he was exploring other coaching options but never confirmed what those options were.
The UA Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Wednesday at 10 a.m. to consider "a salary in excess of line item maximum for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville," according to a press release sent on Tuesday evening. The salary increase was approved.
Kentucky's Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, who recently said Calipari would return for a 16th season at the end of March, thanked Calipari for his time at Kentucky.
"We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky," Barnhart said. "We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court."
In the latest season, the Wildcats had an overall record of 23-10 (13-5 SEC), outperforming the Hogs dramatically with an overall record of 16-17 (6-12 SEC).
However, the Wildcats failed to reach the NCAA Tournament's second round since 2019.
"The last few weeks, we've come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice," Calipari said.
In his 31 years as a college coach, Calipari has also coached at the University of Memphis for nine seasons and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for eight seasons.
Calipari has guided six teams to the Final Four and led Kentucky to secure one national championship title in 2012.
"I believe that he'll be able to get a lot of those players from the number two recruiting class to come in here. I think they'll may even be some players that were at Kentucky last year, follow him to Arkansas," said John Nabors, host of the Locked On Razorbacks Podcast. "There is not a bigger name and a more explosive hire than what they did with John Calipari."
Nabors said Calipari leaving Kentucky was definitely a shock.
"Any of these iconic coaches. None of them left at their big schools. They stayed there forever," Nabors said. "Now in the final phase of his career going to another major university and basketball program. There's nothing that comes close and this is so unprecedented not only in college basketball but in college sports in general."
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