College basketball saw a seismic shift ahead of the men's national championship game when it was reported that John Calipari would leave Kentucky to coach at Arkansas.
Calipari coached at Kentucky for 15 seasons and enjoyed great success. He made four Final Four appearances with the school and won a national championship in 2012.
But in recent seasons, Calipari's Wildcats struggled in the NCAA Tournament. They won just one March Madness game over his final four seasons with the program, and that led some to speculate Kentucky might look for a way to get out of the 65-year-old's lifetime contract in the not-so-distant future.
Instead, Calipari jumped ship and headed for what he hopes is greener pastures in Arkansas.
The Razorbacks landing Calipari is a coup, especially after their coach Eric Musselman was hired to take over the USC vacancy created by Andy Enfield's move to SMU. Calipari should continue the strong recruiting Musselman achieved in Fayetteville while working to give Arkansas a chance to return to the Final Four for the first time since 1995.
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But how did Arkansas pull off the successful maneuver to land Calipari? Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his abundance of resources may have played a part in the veteran coach's decision to move from one SEC school to another.
How Jerry Jones helped Arkansas land John Calipari
The Jerry Jones and John Calipari connection is all about the money. Jones is among Arkansas' biggest athletic boosters and has proven that he is willing to spend to attract elite talent to the program.
In the past, that meant shelling out big bucks to upgrade facilities, help hire coaches and make other program improvements. In the modern NCAA, it means Arkansas can create a top-flight NIL program to attract top-level recruits and transfers to the university, as ESPN's Myron Medcalf detailed.
Calipari won't face the same pressures he endured in Lexington, but he will have access to power boosters (the Tyson Foods family, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the Walton family) who will supply enough NIL money to help him attract elite talent.
That NIL package is expected to be worth "an excess of $5 million per year," according to basketball analyst Jeff Goodman.
Been told by one source that Calipari will have access to an NIL package that will rank among the best in college basketball.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 8, 2024
Excess of $5 million per year. https://t.co/9T0F2gploV
That NIL money might rank among the best in college basketball, but it's pocket change for boosters like Jones, who has a net worth of $13.9 billion.
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If Calipari can build upon what the Razorbacks accomplished with Musselman — they made three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances from 2021-23 — there's reason to believe that boosters like Jones will continue to dip into their deep pockets and invest in the team.
Thus, while Jones himself wasn't the No. 1 reason Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas, Jones' willingness to spend on his alma mater was certainly a positive.
Between the boosters' resources and the hefty payday Calipari is likely to receive as he leaves Kentucky, the 65-year-old will have plenty of resources to build a consistent winner in Fayetteville.
And there will be no excuses for Calipari if his postseason struggles continue and the booster money dries up.