Seth Davis: Texas should call John Calipari regarding coaching vacancy

Texas is on the hunt for a new head coach after canning Chris Beard following his domestic violence arrest, a move that comes just one season after his hiring in 2021. Initially suspended on December 12, the school officially cut ties with the 49-year-old on Thursday.

Who could the Longhorns look to as a replacement? Seth Davis of The Athletic has just the guy — and it’s a familiar face.

You guessed, it, Kentucky head coach John Calipari is option No. 1 for Texas in Davis’ eyes, the first call the school should make. Why? Well, the national basketball analyst believes he’s as available as he’ll ever be considering the Wildcats’ recent struggles and fan impatience. Still a longshot, sure, but Davis says the idea of him walking out the door is “a lot more credible” than any other year. 

“Calipari’s name gets tossed around for jobs a lot (mostly by people who are “close to Calipari,” and presumably at his behest), but most of the time the specter of his leaving Lexington is hardly worth considering,” Davis wrote. “UCLA found that out in 2019, when it had enough substantive conversations with Calipari that he was able to leverage the school’s interest into a lifetime contract from Kentucky that pays him north of $8 million per year. In light of Kentucky’s current struggles, and the fan base’s commensurate impatience, the notion that Calipari would actually leave this time is a lot more credible.

“Would Texas be willing to pay him what he’s making at Kentucky, and perhaps more? Possibly. Would Calipari be willing to take a pay cut to make the move? Possibly. The timing of this is a challenge for Calipari, because he will undoubtedly be asked about it for the remainder of the season (although he has usually found conjecture about his next move to be quite useful). This remains a long shot, but it’s not nearly as long as it seemed a couple of months ago.”

Other possible candidates? Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann, Arkansas’ Eric Musselman and Alabama’s Nate Oats, among others.

The early bet, though? Texas acting head coach Rodney Terry.

That doesn’t mean the Longhorns’ first call should go to anyone other than Coach Cal, says Davis.

Read the entire breakdown over at The Athletic.