John Calipari calls out transfer portal tampering, impact on NIL market

In an era of player movement, NIL dollars have flown once the transfer portal opens. That led to accusations of tampering, and John Calipari spoke candidly about the landscape.

Calipari specifically pointed out players’ ability to transfer each year. While he said he understands one or two transfers, he sees players leaving schools more than that – which has an impact both on the court and in the classroom.

If players were only able to transfer one or two times, Calipari argued, the NIL market could settle down as a result. While he noted legal concerns with implementing such rules, the Arkansas coach thinks those cases would be winnable.

“They should be able to go once, maybe twice, without penalty because the coach lied,” Calipari said Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show. “Told them you’re shooting every ball, I’m gonna play you this way, and he didn’t tell them the truth. Then, they should be able to leave. But four times, that means the first sign of trouble, I’m out. … If you’re a parent, wouldn’t you tell your son, you’re fighting this out? No, you’re staying, you’re going to do it.

“Now, I understand once or twice without penalty. But after that, don’t tell me, ‘Well, we’d get sued.’ A kid transferring four times – one, it’s not good for him. Two, he has no chance academically to do anything. And I think we’re still academic institutions. Take it to court. You can win that.”

Calipari also pointed out recent comments made by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. He told Bussin’ with the Boys he could’ve had an NIL offer of more than $4 million if he opted to enter the portal for his final year of eligibility, which came after a judge’s order paved the way.

Because Pavia never entered the portal, John Calipari noted the tampering that took place. That, he said, is more of an issue than the influx of NIL money.

“But if we get that in order, I think the NIL stuff would be fine because right now, you’ve got the quarterback from Vanderbilt … that’s tampering,” Calipari said. “Put your name in the portal, $4.5 million. We have to get away from that more than the NIL.”

The NIL landscape is preparing for a big shift, though. Earlier this month, the landmark House v. NCAA settlement received final approval, meaning the NIL Go clearinghouse is going into effect. Deals worth more than $600 will be vetted by the service, managed by Deloitte, and the goal is to help determine fair market value.