John Calipari officially hired as Arkansas men's basketball coach - ESPN

John Calipari officially was named the new head coach of the Arkansas men's basketball program, and the Hall of Famer will be making less with the Razorbacks than he did at Kentucky.

Calipari signed a five-year contract starting at $7 million per season — less than the $8.5 million he was making with the Wildcats. The deal, announced Wednesday, includes a $1 million signing bonus and $500,000 retention bonuses each year of the contract, plus incentives for making the NCAA tournament and advancing deep into the tournament. There are also two automatic rollover years for NCAA tournament appearances that would extend the deal to 2031.

«By all accounts, John Calipari is one of the premier coaches in college basketball,» athletic director Hunter Yurachek said. «A national championship coach, a four-time national coach of the year and one of the nation's top recruiters, Coach Cal has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract outstanding talent and build championship teams within the Southeastern Conference and position his programs among the best in the nation.

»As I visited with Coach Calipari during this process, he acknowledged the tremendous opportunity we have at the University of Arkansas to attract and retain top players and compete for championships. He understands the deep passion of the Razorback Nation and has experienced the tremendous home court advantage of Bud Walton Arena. I have no doubt that under Coach Calipari's leadership and with the collective support of all those who love the Hogs, Razorback Basketball will continue to maintain its national prominence within college basketball."

Calipari replaces Eric Musselman, who left last week to take over at USC.

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