John Calipari has long been a staple of college basketball after coaching the Kentucky Wildcats for decades. Now that he’s officially the Arkansas Razorbacks head coach, Karl-Anthony Towns and several stars he mentored have come out to show their appreciation for him.
Just recently, Calipari inked a five-year contract to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks through 2029 with an annual salary of $7 million. This decision comes one day after he stepped down as Kentucky’s coach during the previous NCAA season.
The deal Calipari agreed to contains a maximum of two rollover years that can potentially extend the contract to 2031. It also includes a $1 million signing bonus, an annual $500,000 retention bonus, and bonuses for reaching the different brackets of the NCAA Tournament, including the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the championship round.

The former Kentucky Wildcats head coach is set to replace Eric Musselman after the latter accepted a job for Southern California. Arkansas, meanwhile, had a 16-17 record last season after making three appearances in the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years.
Calipari left the Wildcats with a 23-10 record during the previous season. And while the coach had found success during the last decade, he has struggled to replicate it for Kentucky in the past few years.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Other Kentucky Wildcats Stars Show Love For John Calipari After Moving to Arkansas

After news of his move to Arkansas went out, several players Calipari mentored went on social media to express their love for the coach, including Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. According to a tweet posted on X by Tristan Pharis:
John Calipari’s former players respond to him leaving Kentucky.
John Wall, Brandon Knight, Karl Towns, Demarcus Cousins…
Calipari changed a lot of lives and families during his time in Lexington. pic.twitter.com/lueyRSK3Ld
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) April 9, 2024
Calipari is known as the active coach with the most wins in college basketball history. He currently has 855 wins and 263 losses during his time coaching Massachusetts, Memphis, and Kentucky. He has consistently led these teams to several Final Four appearances and three national championships, while garnering countless awards along the way.

As the current tournament ended with the UConn Huskies winning it all at the cost of Zach Edey’s Purdue Boilermakers. a lot of eyes will be on Calipari next season. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate his success for the Razorbacks, much like what he did with the Wildcats.

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