John Tyson recalls candidates he, Hunter Yurachek considered going after for Arkansas job

Arkansas had a tumultuous journey before eventually landing John Calipari as its next men’s basketball head coach. In a recent story by CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, Tyson Foods chairman and Arkansas booster John Tyson pulled back the curtain on the Razorbacks’ extensive coaching search.

“Tyson first called his coaching friend to ask if he’d speak to [Arkansas athletics director Hunter] Yurachek about vetting candidates,” Dodd wrote. “Yurachek called Calipari that night. At some point Yurachek cut to the chase and asked Calipari if he was interested. 

“‘In my judgment as a businessman, either you go big [or not],’ Tyson said. “‘When we were talking big, I threw out three names. I said, ‘Do you call Bill Self? Do you call Danny Hurley or do you call Coach Cal?

“‘Or do you [hire], Chris Beard, Jerome Tang. In the business world you call that a lateral move. You go get somebody who knows how to do the business. You’re probably going to have to pay them a little more.'”

The program reportedly reached out to Kansas State’s Jerome Tang and Ole Miss’ Chris Beard initially, but both candidates opted to stay with their respective programs. Then, reports surfaced claiming the Razorbacks had landed Calipari.

It was a stunning hire. Calipari spent 15 seasons at Kentucky and athletics director Mitch Barnhart had verified Calipari was returning for the 2024-25 season only days earlier. Nonetheless, Arkansas reeled in Calipari, and his accolades came with him.

From 2011-15, the charismatic head man took Kentucky to four Final Fours and hoisted the national championship trophy in 2012. He also reached the Elite Eight in 2010, 2017 and 2019.

While Calipari has not recently found the same success on the court he had in his early years at Kentucky, he has not lost his touch on the recruiting trail. Kentucky boasted the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle.

Thus far, Arkansas has landed commitments from three of Kentucky’s former 2024 signees. Additionally, Calipari and Co. have reeled in four players via the transfer portal, including former Kentucky contributors Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic, along with Johnell Davis (FAU) and Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee).

Calipari is excited to prove his worth at Arkansas.

“Something nudges you and you don’t know what it is,” Calipari said, alluding to a spiritual pull to his new job. “But I’ve been there 15 years. Maybe it’s ‘You’ve done what I needed you to do there for the kids, for the state. Now I need you to do something down there.’”