The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team officially announced the hiring of Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari, successfully luring him away from fellow SEC school, Kentucky, on Wednesday (April 10).
"Cal. Those. Hogs. Hall of Famer John Calipari is officially the head of the Arkansas Razorbacks," a post shared by the Razorbacks men's basketball team's X account stated.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Calipari's deal to join the Razorbacks was "in the final stages before completion" prior to the national championship Monday (April 8) night.
"Sources tell ESPN that the deal between John Calipari and Arkansas is in the final stages before completion. The formal announcement is expected on Tuesday, as we reported earlier tonight on @CollegeGameDay," Thamel wrote on his X account.
Thamel had previously reported that Calipari was "finalizing a five-year deal" with the Razorbacks Sunday (April 7) night.
Calipari's deal with Arkansas is reportedly expected to include a total salary just under his current $8.5 million salary at Kentucky, however, have many incentives to exceed that number, sources confirmed to ESPN. The agreement, which is reportedly expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours of Thamel's initial report, was made possible by Calipari's long-standing ties to longtime Arkansas benefactor John H. Tyson.
Calipari went 410-122 (198-65 SEC) during 15 seasons at Kentucky, which included winning the 2012 NCAA national championship, as well as six SEC regular season and six SEC tournament titles. The 65-year-old has an 813-260 overall record as a collegiate head coach, which includes stints with the Massachusetts Minutemen (1988-96) and Memphis Tigers (2000-2009).
Calipari will replace former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who accepted the head coaching position with the USC Trojans on Thursday (April 4).
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