The Race to Replace Calipari: Top Contenders for Kentucky Basketball’s Coveted Coaching Position

Kentucky needs a new men’s basketball coach, and John Calipari is anticipated to take over as Arkansas’s next head coach. Applicants will rush to Lexington as quickly as the last person left the position following his most recent postseason collapse. Most likely.

There, five different men have won national titles. Kansas and Kentucky jockeys is the all-time winningest program. Since a coach’s ability to win there is unrestricted, there is no ceiling.

Naturally, those who are insecure or weak-willed should not face the scrutiny and expectations. However, the benefits might be too great for many to pass up.

Job evaluation

One of the two highest-paid coaches in the nation was John Calipari. Money should never be a problem in any situation.

However, in 2022, there was a highly visible altercation between athletic director Mitch Barnhart and Calipari over the necessity of a new practice space. Does Kentucky genuinely require one? Perhaps it depends on who you ask. In 2007, the Craft Center opened. Is that out of date in the collegiate athletics arms race?

A closer look at the name, image, and likeness operation is also recommended. Notably, North Carolina acquired NIL mastermind TJ Beisner from Kentucky during the previous offseason, and he significantly enhanced the circumstances in Chapel Hill. Kentucky started a NIL project on March 14th, with a $1 million target. After less than a month, the till contains about $50,000.

Kentucky is in the SEC, of course. It is a pretty safe job to coach in one of the two conferences that will determine the direction of sports in general.

Call List (in alphabetical order)

Since, oh, around 2007, Billy Donovan, the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, has been Kentucky fans’ ideal candidate. Donovan worked as Rick Pitino’s assistant in Kentucky and is free of the baggage from his last employer. Would he, however, abandon the NBA for Lexington’s fishbowl? Is he interested in going back to college? Even though it appears improbable, Barnhart needs to at least give him a call and force a no.

Scott Drew, head coach of Baylor: Since the 2021 NCAA Tournament bubble burst, when Barnhart chaired the selection committee and Baylor emerged victorious, Drew and UK AD Barnhart have maintained a cordial friendship. According to several individuals acquainted with Barnhart’s thought process, Drew would be his first pick if a position become available. Arguably the greatest construct in college basketball history was masterminded by the Baylor coach. When Baylor started the position, he was on probation. In his fifth season, Drew led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament. He has participated in five straight tournaments and won two Big 12 titles. He is among the best recruiters in the sport. In the past two years, Baylor has been selected for the lottery, and this year, they are expected to be selected again. Baylor has only recently

Sean Miller, head coach at Xavier: Does Kentucky have an easy time selling this? With injuries, the previous season was a 16–18 grind. He is not a Final Four participant. However, he has won 71.6% of his matches and is capable of directing all of the program’s resources in the right way. And he would most likely say “yes” right away, hoping to reach success levels that he never quite did at Arizona.

Head coach of Alabama, Nate Oats: Though a $18 million buyout would take some seismic belief, this might be the most sensible course of action. For Kentucky, oats might be worth it. The 49-year-old has played in four NCAA Tournaments, won two conference titles, and is 62-28 in the SEC in his five years at Alabama. This year, he has advanced to the Sweet 16 twice and made the ultimate statement by making it to the Final Four. Oats not only prevails, but his brand of play would make Cats supporters salivate. 3 point focus, rapid speed, and intense pressure. Oats has previously shown that he can create pros and recruit at the level needed in Lexington. Theoretically, Kentucky expects him to do what he has already accomplished at Alabama.

Bruce Pearl, head coach of Auburn: Although it has long been known that Barnhart would not consider employing someone who had received a three-year NCAA show-cause punishment, he is one of several SEC coaches who accomplished more with less than Calipari. In 2018 and 2022, he won the SEC regular season; in 2019 and 2024, he won the league tournament. The only Final Four that Auburn has ever attended, he attended more recently than Kentucky. In the event that a number of these other contenders decline, Pearl’s past transgressions may no longer offend Barnhart. Pearl, who barks like a circus animal, is the ideal match in terms of personality.

Head coach of St. John’s, Rick Pitino: Without a doubt, this would be the most amazing outcome of an already amazing series of events. Even though it is highly unlikely, it is a scenario that needs to be taken into account nonetheless. Pitino, who is still arguably the most despised and beloved person in the state, won almost 80% of his games throughout his illustrious career in Kentucky, which included a national championship in 1996. If Pitino went back to Lexington, he would definitely win, but at 71, it is difficult to see this happening in the near future. Nevertheless, Pitino is still a coach, and this position is open. How wonderful would it be to reunite? This last year, Pitino breathed new life into St. John’s that had been dormant. He is an amazing force.

Head coach of BYU, Mark Pope: The ex-son returning home? Yes, that will work. Pope was a member of the Lexington squad that won the 1995–96 national title under Rick Pitino, and for that reason alone, he has long been linked to be Calipari’s successor.. Naturally, taking on a position of this size calls for more than just a feel-good narrative, and Pope proved his mettle in that regard this season by leading BYU to 23 victories and an NCAA Tournament bid in the program’s inaugural Big 12 season. Pope leads a beautiful offensive line that saw the Cougars finish the season ranked No. 14 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. The team has made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament in five seasons and probably would have made a third if COVID-19 had not forced the 2020 NCAA Tournament to be canceled. Here, the two key queries are: 1) Pope has never won an NCAA Tournament game; 2) Pope’s buyout, which is unclear due to BYU’s private status but is unlikely to be prohibitive. Kentucky is one of the few championship-or-bust schools in the nation; would they really trust someone who has not won the Big Dance that much?

Head coach of Houston, Kelvin Sampson: In October he will turn 69. In addition, he is the current AP coach of the year. The rationale is this: Sampson wants to give it his all in his final attempt at winning a national title before he retires, leaving his son Kellen well-prepared to succeed him.

Shaka Smart, head coach of Marquette: Earlier in this cycle, Smart’s representatives made it very apparent that he was not interested in a few high-profile positions, but none of those positions were in Kentucky. The simple counterargument to this is that Smart has previously experienced life as a major, attended a public university, and held a very prominent position, all of which failed. However, the employment in Texas and Kentucky are not at all comparable. Kentucky is a basketball school, possibly the best basketball school in the country, and it is like Marquette on steroids. We are not sure if Smart would be interested in completely upending his life, but if the call came, would not he have to at least answer it?

And the hire is…

Donovan is the ideal scenario here, but if you are going to make calls of that kind, you should at least get in touch with Drew (and possibly even Dan Hurley, though there is very little chance of his moving away from Connecticut). However, Baylor just renegotiated Drew’s contract. Foster Pavilion, the program’s gleaming new arena, opened its doors in January. Should those fail to materialize? Oats would undoubtedly answer the phone and be as near to a dream hire as Cats supporters could hope for at this time in the coaching carousel. Oats overtook Calipari in the SEC hierarchy the last few seasons.

(Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images)