Report: Texas contacts Kentucky coach John Calipari in coaching search

Texas reportedly reached out to Kentucky head coach John Calipari, according to Travis Branham.

The news came on the heels of Texas firing head coach Chris Beard amid legal troubles. Kentucky is 10-5 this season after a loss to No. 4 Alabama Saturday.

Afterwards, Calipari faced a lot of criticism from fans, media and more. But it was not the first time this season.

Back in late December, Calipari talked about looking at the personnel to shake things up.

“Look, I haven’t lost any faith,” Calipari said. “I’ve been through tough stuff, and I knew this would be a hard game. But I thought we would play better. I knew they would play better because they just beat Illinois and they’re making shots and they’re being aggressive and doing some good stuff. They did a good job. In the end, they had to grind it out, like my teams do. I mean, you get that lead and now we’re going to grind it, we’re going to shoot late in the clock, get a back door, make a tough three. They were good today. I give all the credit to Missouri.”

Texas, which is No. 10 in the latest AP Poll, would seemingly get a major boost with Calipari at the helm. It would certainly be a different look after Beard was fired amid domestic violence allegations.

“The University of Texas has parted ways with Chris Beard,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “This has been a difficult situation that we’ve been diligently working through. Today I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately.”

“We thank Coach Rodney Terry for his exemplary leadership both on and off the court at a time when our team needed it most. We are grateful he will remain the acting head coach for the remainder of the season.”