"Why wouldn’t you be interested?": Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek reportedly pursued former Kentucky HC John Calipari during 2024 March Madness

The Arkansas Razorbacks were very persistent and it was able to pay off as the program landed former Kentucky coach John Calipari to lead their program. They needed someone to replace Eric Musselman and Razorbacks was looking for a huge hire. The University of Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek and John Calipari had a meeting on the eve of the Final Four about possible candidates.

According to sources, that is when Yurachek realized that maybe he was talking to their next head coach this whole time.

"Why not you? Why wouldn't you be interested?"

Calipari is friends with John H. Tyson, the chairman of Tyson Foods and donor to the University of Arkansas. This was not the first time the two were linked, as before taking the Kentucky Wildcats job, John Calipari was linked to the Razorbacks while coaching Memphis.

While negotiations between Arkansas and Calipari were happening, The Athletic is reporting that there was very little contact and no negotiations happening between Kentucky and Calipari to keep him there.

When talking to The Athletic, John Calipari explained a bit of why he left Kentucky in the first place.

"I've done this a few times in my career and the biggest thing I'm tryig to create is the love affair between this program and the campus... The other thing to change is figuring out our roster, and you have to go in now and have NIL ready, which the school will do. I don't have to go out and do it anymore. I had to at Kentucky." h/t The Athletic

This will be interesting to see how Calipari does at building Arkansas into a powerhouse in college basketball going forward.

What should we expect out of the Arkansas Razorbacks next season?

John Calipari had a tough season last year as they finished 16-17, which was 11th in the Southeastern Conference and did not make it past the second round of the SEC Tournament. With the roster expected to shift with transfers now viewing Arkansas as a legitimate option, this team should be one of the 68 teams to make the NCAA Tournament.

Calipari is putting the Razorbacks men's basketball program back on the map.