John Calipari to Arkansas, Kentucky coach candidates: Coaching search, targets by SEC insiders

An era of Kentucky basketball is over with John Calipari’s departure after 15 years of leading the Wildcats. The 2012 national championship-winning coach is heading to the SEC West to coach the Arkansas Razorbacks, the team announced on Wednesday, leaving the Kentucky basketball coaching search wide open. The Wildcats have the best winning percentage of any Division I college basketball program, and only UCLA (11) has more national championships than UK’s eight. Kentucky plucked Calipari from a mid-major in Memphis in 2009, so the Kentucky basketball coaching search could have breadth with targets from all levels of basketball.

While Calipari may have underachieved in many fans’ eyes, he always delivered in terms of Kentucky basketball recruiting, and that is a factor Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart wants to remain a strength under the next Kentucky basketball coach. UK basketball has the No. 2 recruiting class for 2024, so the new Kentucky coach will be tasked with both retaining top commits and attracting new ones. If you love the Wildcats, or just want to know if your coach is the next target, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.

The team of insiders at Catspause.com are providing up-to-the-minute scoop on the latest intel surrounding the Kentucky basketball coaching search. Catspause has built a solid reputation over its 20+ years covering the Wildcats, and has deep-rooted sources inside and around the Kentucky athletic department.

CatsPause has collectively put together a list of coaches to watch as the Wildcats are in the thick of their search. And right now, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.

The team at CatsPause already has a list out of 12 potential candidates and there are some surprising names on the list. Head to CatsPause now to see them all.

Top Kentucky head coaching candidates One name the staff has identified as a potential candidate is BYU head coach Mark Pope. He checks several boxes as a championship-winning player at Kentucky, a former assistant coach in the SEC (Georgia, 2009-10) and now a power-conference head coach in the Big 12. He’s led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and has had them ranked No. 15 or higher at some point in three different seasons.

Pope’s downsides include that he’s never won a game in the NCAA Tournament and he’s not known as an elite recruiter. Though he played at Kentucky and had assistant coaching stints at Georgia and Wake Forest, the Nebraska native has done all of his recent coaching out West. He had a stint at BYU as an assistant from 2011-15 before serving as the head coach at Utah Valley and then coming back to BYU as the head coach in 2019. There would be a clear adjustment in returning to a new-look SEC that will feature high-profile coaches such as Nate Oats, Rick Barnes, Bruce Pearl and Calipari. 

Another name on the list is Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. With 30 years of head coaching experience under his belt, you won’t find many more familiar with a sideline than Donovan. He also has winning experience as a two-time champion while at the University of Florida, where he made the Elite Eight seven times. Donovan appeared in three NCAA Title Games in his 19 years at Florida, compared to just two for Calipari in his 15 years at Kentucky, despite having much more talent in Lexington.

Donovan has spent the last nine years in the NBA, and that pro experience would help him in the college game in terms of attracting recruits who want to make it to the next level. However, his success hasn’t carried over to the pro game as he’s headed to his third non-winning season over his last four years and hasn’t won a postseason series since his first year in 2015-16. Still though, Donovan has as good a resume as any Kentucky coaching candidate, and he also has what nearly all other coaching candidates lack, and that’s ties to the program as he was a Kentucky assistant from 1989-94. See more candidates at CatsPause. 

How to get insider Kentucky coaching search updates The rest of the list of 10 names to know includes multiple national championship winners, and a shocking name who is currently coaching another SEC program. See who it is at CatsPause

Who are the top names in the Kentucky coaching search as the Wildcats look to replace John Calipari, and what other SEC coach could be on the move? Go to CatsPause to see their hot board and more, all from a team of reporters with years of experience covering the Wildcats, and find out. And reminder, CatsPause is offering 50% off the first year of an annual VIP membership* as a coaching search special, so subscribe now before it’s too late.

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