If you say you saw this coming, you’re a liar.
Thanks to a big budget from Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek and a friendship with a man who sells frozen dinosaur nuggets for a living, John Calipari is finalizing a deal to head to Fayetteville to replace Eric Musselman as the Razorbacks’ head basketball coach.
As soon as Calipari’s potential deal with the University of Arkansas was revealed on Sunday night, questions were already swirling regarding the roster that he’ll put together this fall.
Could he persuade Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle, Arkansas’ two best players from this year’s team, to come back for one more season? Can he reinvigorate Trevon Brazile after a disappointing season? And most excitingly of all, with an NIL budget of $5M a year, who can Calipari get from the transfer portal?
Of course, there’s also the possibility that McDonald’s All-American Isaiah Elohim will still come to Arkansas despite Musselman’s departure, along with some players from Calipari’s Kentucky recruiting class that was set to see the hardwood in Lexington this season.
Six highly touted freshman were committed to Calipari at Kentucky, and even getting just one of them to flip to Arkansas would be a massive victory for the Razorbacks. The incoming class was ranked second in the nation heading into next season.
With players such as Somto Cyril, Boogie Fland and Billy Richmond up for grabs, Calipari is likely about to be on the phone with his incoming class to try and convince them to flip to Arkansas. With an NIL budget that big, however, Calipari will have his pick of any player in the country to come help his squad win basketball games.
Though the roster is a big question mark, there’s no doubt there will be massive expectations for Calipari in Year 1 at Arkansas. Whether those expectations are realistic or not is subjective, but most would agree that returning to the NCAA Tournament is the minimum expectation for Calipari’s first campaign in Fayetteville.
If the Hogs do make it back to the Big Dance, advancing to the Sweet 16 would be a great place for Calipari to start what could turn into a dominant run at Arkansas. If Arkansas goes further, all bets are off for how good the program could be over the next few seasons.
Of course, opening tip for Arkansas’ season is still seven months away — we still have a national championship to play Monday, after all — but there’s no doubt that there will be more buzz and expectation around this Arkansas basketball team than any other athletic team in Razorback history.
If you ask Arkansas fans, though, they’ll tell you to start printing off the banners.
