LEXINGTON, Ky. — Hall of Fame coach John Calipari has agreed to a five-year deal with Arkansas to become their next men’s basketball coach, after announcing he was stepping down from Kentucky on April 9. 

What You Need To Know

  • John Calipari has agreed to a five-year deal with Arkansas to take the men's basketball coaching job 

  • Calipari announced on April 9 he was leaving Kentucky after 15 seasons, where he compiled a 410-122 record

  • The Wildcats had four Final Four appearances under his watch, including a national championship in 2012 

  • The move comes weeks after athletics director Mitch Barnhart announced Calipari would return for a 16th season at Kentucky 

In a news release, Arkansas announced Calipari signed a five-year deal to lead the Razorbacks at $7 million per season. The 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 includes a $1 million signing bonus and retention bonuses of $500,000 each year of the contract. It also includes onetime bonuses for making the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round, Sweet 16, Final Four and winning a national championship.

Calipari will be formally introduced on April 10 at 7 p.m. ET in Bud Walton Arena.

“By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball,” said Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek. “A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation’s top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation.”

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Calipari announced he was stepping down as the head coach at Kentucky, saying it was time for a “new voice” to lead the program.

The 65-year-old compiled a 410-122 record in his time with the University of Kentucky, along with a national championship in 2012 and three other Final Four appearances (2011, 2014 and 2015). 

Overall, Calipari has an 813-260 record in 32 seasons as a college head coach. He led UMass to the 1996 Final Four and also spent more than two seasons as coach of the then-New Jersey Nets (1996-1999) before returning to the college level with Memphis in 2000, spending nine seasons with the Tigers. Calipari was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Eric Musselman served as the Razorbacks’ coach for five seasons before taking the head coaching job at the University of Southern California April 4.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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