Texas Reportedly Contacts John Calipari in Basketball Coaching Search

The coaching search at Texas is still in its early stages. The Longhorns fired head coach Chris Beard Jan. 5 following a domestic violence arrest in December. In the immediate aftermath, John Calipari was a popular name on hot boards. Now there’s some smoke behind the early speculation.

247 Sports National Recruiting Insider Travis Branham reports Texas has made contact with John Calipari through back channels. Additionally, Branham believes Calipari will jump at the opportunity to leave Lexington if Texas makes a competitive offer.

John Calipari is currently facing an unprecedented amount of criticism at the University of Kentucky. The Hall of Famer went to four Final Fours in his first six seasons but has now gone seven years without making it to the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament. On the heels of a nine-win Covid-plagued season, the Wildcats were eliminated by 15-seeded Saint Peter’s in 2022. Despite the return of reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky has not clicked this season. The Wildcats are still searching for their first Quad 1 win and have only led for 23 seconds in three true road games.

John Calipari is the highest-paid coach in college basketball. Following the 2019 season he signed a “lifetime contract,” a phrase now mocked by his and Mitch Barnhart’s loudest critics. He is locked in through the 2028-29 campaign. This year John Calipari will make $8.5 million. If he steps away from coaching following the 2023-24 season, he can earn just shy of $1 million a year as an ambassador for the university. His buyout is 75% of the remaining money left on the deal if fired by UK, but if he leaves for another school, say Texas, there is none.

“I’ve been here a long time for a coach at one place and I’m going to live out this contract. I’ve committed to it and I’m going to do it,” Calipari said this summer on Kentucky Roll Call. “We want to say, let’s take this thing to another level and let’s just keep going.”