John Calipari contract: How new Arkansas basketball coach's salary stands in Razorbacks athletics history
Ehsan Kassim
Is Arkansas a basketball school now?
If you follow the money, it is. On Wednesday, the Razorbacks announced former Kentucky coach John Calipari as their new basketball coach. The new contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports suggests a significant shift from football to basketball is in the making.
REQUIRED READING:John Calipari contract: Salary, length and bonuses with Arkansas basketball
The contract is a five-year deal with Arkansas that runs through 2029. The starting pay of $8 million — including the $1 million signing bonus — makes Calipari the highest-paid coach in Razorbacks history. It surpasses what any football coach — including current coach Sam Pittman — has ever earned in Fayetteville. According to the USA TODAY Sports database, Calipari remains the second-highest-paid college basketball coach behind Kansas' Bill Self.
Below is a comparison of Calipari's contract with Arkansas to some of the other highest-paid Razorback coaches.
Comparing John Calipari's contract to other Arkansas coaches
Calipari will make nearly double what his predecessor, Eric Musselman, made in his final season in 2023-24. Musselman left for the USC job earlier this month. Here's how Calipari's new contract compares with other top Arkansas coaches' single-year pay since 2010-11, per data from the USA TODAY Sports database, not adjusting for inflation:
- 1. John Calipari, basketball: $8 million, 2024-25
- 2. Sam Pittman, football: $6.38 million, 2023-24
- 3. Bret Bielema, football: $4.25 million, 2017-18
- 4. Eric Musselman, basketball: $4.25 million, 2023-24
- 5. Chad Morris, football: $4 million, 2019-20
- 6. Bobby Petrino, football: $3.64 million, 2011-12
- 7. Mike Anderson, basketball: $2.55 million, 2018-19