NCAA Coaching Carousel: John Calipari Leaving Kentucky For Arkansas On 5-Year Deal: Report

In a stunning move on the eve of the NCAA championship game, Kentucky coach John Calipari is leaving for SEC rival Arkansas on a five-year deal, according to ESPN.

Calipari’s salary will be “slightly less than the $8.5 million” he makes at Kentucky but will be “incentive-laden with the ability to pass that number,” ESPN reported.

Calipari will replace Eric Musselman, who left Arkansas to take the USC job.

If Kentucky had fired Calipari, the Wildcats would have owed him roughly $35 million in a buyout, according to a database compiled by USA TODAY Sports.

Calipari, 65, has been at Kentucky since 2009 and athletic director Mitch Barnhart recently said he would return for a 16th season.

Among coaches Kentucky could target are UConn’s Dan Hurley, who has his team in the national championship game after winning the title last season, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, Xavier’s Sean Miller, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Alabama’s Nate Oats, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, BYU’s Mark Pope and former Kentucky and current St. John’s coach Rick Pitino.

Calipari led Kentucky to the 2012 national championship and made four Final Fours, but his teams are just 1-4 in their last five NCAA Tournament games, including a first-round loss this season to No. 14 Oakland. He is 410-122 during his tenure in Lexington.

Even before this recent spate of early losses, many criticized Calipari for only winning one NCAA title despite all the talent he has brought in year after year.

“The era of taking these young freshmen and trying to play against older players is over,” said Jay Wright, who won two national titles and reached four Final Fours at Villanova. “I think [Calipari] did a phenomenal job with these guys all year, getting them to be as successful as they were. You can see they’re playing against grown men.

“The guys on Kentucky will be far better pros than any of these guys on Oakland or any of these guys in the tournament. But they’re not as good college basketball players. At this point in their career, they’re not as disciplined.”

Kentucky has a six-man recruiting class ranked No. 2 nationally by 247Sports.com: center Jayden Quintance, small forward Karter Knox, shooting guard Billy Richmond, point guard Boogie Fland, center Somto Cyril and point guard Travis Perry. Some of them could opt to follow Calipari to Arkansas.

Arkansas commit Jalen Shelley recently re-opened his recruitment while fellow commit Isaiah Elohim had not yet made an announcement.