Kentucky basketball rumors: Insider delivers latest update on Scott Drew as John Calipari's successor 

Longtime Baylor Bears coach Scott Drew was long speculated to be the top candidate for the lucrative Kentucky Wildcats job that fell vacant after coach John Calipari unexpectedly left to join the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Drew has been the Bears coach since 2003 and he led the Bears to a national championship in 2021 after only being to the Big Dance once in their history when he took over.

After speculation that Scott Drew would be unveiled by Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart on Thursday, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein revealed that the Baylor coach would remain at his current job.

How Scott Drew almost got the Kentucky job

The Kentucky job is one of the biggest in college basketball with the program being one of the established blue bloods of the game. Athletic director Mitch Barnhart moved quickly to secure coach John Calipari's replacement.

A few of the 2024 commitments, including Jayden Quaintance and Karter Knox, who had chosen the Wildcats as their next destination, reopened their commitments after the former stalwart left for Arkansas.

The two front runners for the job, UConn Huskies eccentric coach Dan Hurley and Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats then both distanced themselves from the job.

"I am fully committed to this team and to this University," Oats wrote in a statement recently released. "We have already accomplished some great things here, and there is nothing I want more than for the University of Alabama to win its first national championship in men's basketball. Despite any rumors to the contrary, rest assured that I will continue that pursuit as your head coach. Roll Tide!"

Speculation about Scott Drew taking the Kentucky job started on Wednesday and college hoops fans even started tracking private planes taking off from Waco, Texas to Lexington.

This led to a hilarious move by Drew who immediately tweeted a picture of himself having lunch in Texas just to muddy the waters.

According to KWTX, the coach's family was flown to Lexington by a private plane on Wednesday to take a look around before they flew back in the evening.

Scott Drew has a 29-11 post-season record in the last 15 years and a 446-244 (.646) overall coaching record at Baylor. He has two Big 12 regular season championships to go with his one national championship.

Scott Drew is only one of seven currently active college basketball coaches with a national championship to their name and this explains why he was one of only a handful of candidates considered by the Wildcats.