Arkansas hires John Calipari: Ex-Kentucky coach agrees to five-year deal with salary starting at $7 million

[ad_1]

Arkansas has hired Hall of Fame coach John Calipari, who announced Tuesday in a video posted to social media that he was stepping away from Kentucky after 15 seasons with the program. Calipari replaces Eric Musselman, who made a surprising move of his own from the Razorbacks to USC. 

Calipari’s contract is for five years and starts at $7 million per season, per Arkansas, and features a maximum of two automatic rollover years for NCAA Tournament appearances that would extend him through 2031. Incentives include a $1 million signing bonus, $500,000 retention bonuses annually, and additional bonuses for making the NCAA Tournament and advancing through each round. 

“As I visited with Coach Calipari during this process, he acknowledged the tremendous opportunity we have at the University of Arkansas to attract and retain top players and compete for championships,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “He understands the deep passion of the Razorback Nation and has experienced the tremendous home court advantage of Bud Walton Arena. I have no doubt that under Coach Calipari’s leadership and with the collective support of all those who love the Hogs, Razorback Basketball will continue to maintain its national prominence within college basketball.”

Calipari said in a video statement Tuesday that he felt it was time to “completely” detach from the Wildcats program for another opportunity — presumably, at the time, with the Razorbacks. 

“The last few weeks, we have come to realize this program probably needs to hear another voice,” Calipari said. “That the university as a whole has to have another voice giving guidance about this program. The fans need to hear another voice. We think it’s time for us to step away and step away completely from the program. There have been opportunities presented to us and we are discussing them as a family.”

Kentucky athletic director…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/arkansas-hires-john-calipari-ex-kentucky-coach-agrees-to-five-year-deal-with-salary-starting-at-7-million/

Author : Cameron Salerno

Publish date : 2024-04-10 14:24:45

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.