John Calipari to Arkansas: Current and former college coaches weigh in on the move
John Calipari shocked the college basketball world with his announcement that he’s heading to Arkansas and we asked his fellow coaches what they thought of the move.
- An antihero and a chicken man teamed up in Arkansas, where the Razorbacks are assembling an impressive haul of transfers from FAU to Tennessee.
- By leaving Kentucky for Arkansas, John Calipari forced himself to adapt how he builds his rosters.
- Arkansas booster John Tyson is believed to be fueling a mighty NIL push for John Calipari’s Razorbacks.
The last time a chicken man and an antihero teamed up, both fellas met grisly ends.
“Breaking Bad,” that story was called.
For the sequel, a tastier development is unfolding for the Arkansas Razorbacks, where mega-booster John Tyson and John Calipari are cooking up some spicy kind of dish.
The former Kentucky coach is building the best roster chicken patties can buy.
Neither Calipari nor Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek hid the reality that Tyson, the chairman of the Tyson Food company’s board, wielded significant influence in getting his friend, Calipari, to leave Kentucky for Arkansas.
The unstated implication: Calipari would enjoy rich NIL backing to reload Arkansas’ roster.
Arkansas basketball transfers came from Florida Atlantic to Tennessee
Just look at what Calipari already has on the grill.
He’s assembled a robust transfer class featuring Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis, Tennessee’s James Aidoo and Kentucky’s Zvonimir Ivisic.
Big Blue Nation must be wondering, where was this Calipari in Lexington? This marks a pivot from how Calipari built his Kentucky rosters, where he relied on blue-chip youngsters, even after the transfer era took hold. Although Calipari didn’t completely ignore transfers, he undervalued them.
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While transfers starred for other teams making deep NCAA Tournament runs, Calipari insisted on doing things the old way at Kentucky, signing one ballyhooed recruiting class after another of talented teenagers, rather than stock up on a few more experienced veterans from the portal.
As Kentucky’s coach, Calipari stubbornly admitted he wouldn’t adapt how he built his roster.
“I’ve done this with young teams my whole career. It’s going to be hard for me to change that. … I don’t see myself just saying, ‘OK, we’re not going to recruit freshmen,’ ” Calipari said after his final game at Kentucky, a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to 14th-seeded Oakland.
While UK’s freshmen struggled in that loss, Oakland rallied around the sharp shooting of 24-year-old Jack Goelke, a Division II transfer.
By leaving Kentucky, John Calipari forced himself to adapt
Change is more difficult when surrounded by temptation.
If you want to lose weight, you don’t stock the cupboard with sweets. Likewise, Calipari enjoyed the ability to stockpile McDonald’s All-Americans at Kentucky, making it difficult for him to reserve more roster spots for proven transfers.
Now, he’s forced to adapt.
Calipari inherited an Arkansas roster with one player on it. Literally, one guy: walk-on, Lawson Blake.
As Calipari quipped shortly after his hire: “I met with the team. There is no team.”
Calipari could not possibly field a competitive roster next season without relying on transfers.
Fueled by necessity and chicken bucks, he’s landed some good ones – none better than FAU’s Davis. You’ll recall Davis starred in the 2023 NCAA Tournament while the Owls hooted and hollered into the Final Four. Aidoo and Ivisic are no Zach Edey, but they’re helpful big men with March Madness experience.
By escaping out Kentucky’s hatch door while the posse closed in, Calipari bolted off the hot seat and ran toward freedom. He also gave himself permission to change his ways, because he has no other choice.
Arkansas afforded Calipari a fresh lease on coaching. This may be no “dream job,” as Calipari called blue-blooded Kentucky, but it’s a good job with ample resources. And Calipari is proving that, whatever coaching shortcomings he might have displayed throughout a few disappointing NCAA Tournament exits these past few years, he remains a master at luring talent.
As Calipari correctly stated after his hire, the best teams don’t rely exclusively on transfers, but feature important players whom the program signed, retained and developed.
Look to UConn for the model. The Huskies’ top two scorers were transfers, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer. They melded one-and-done freshman Stephon Castle and a few talented veterans whom UConn developed in-house.
That’s the golden ticket.
Calipari never will completely turn his back on elite recruits. Three national top-30 prospects who had planned to play for Calipari at Kentucky will follow him to Arkansas. They’ll blend with this impressive transfer haul. Building roster chemistry will form Calipari’s next task.
Calipari is damaged goods, but this forced reboot could do him good. Now, this antihero enjoys the power of pollo behind him.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
A digital subscription will allow you access to all of his coverage. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, or access exclusive columns via the SEC Unfiltered newsletter.
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