Texas AD denies contact with John Calipari: "News to me"

Is John Calipari packing his bags and leaving for Austin? Texas AD Chris Del Conte says that would be news to him.

With speculation growing regarding the Longhorns’ interest in the Kentucky head coach and that interest potentially being mutual — Travis Branham of 247Sports says Calipari “would likely jump” at a competitive offer — Del Conte felt the need to jump out in front of the conversation before things spiraled out of control.

His take? No conversations have taken place regarding the program’s vacant head coaching position and the focus remains on Texas’ current season. Anything beyond the team’s active coaches — namely interim head coach Rodney Terry — and players this season is speculation.

“That’s news to me,” Del Conte told Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman. “We’ve been focused on supporting Rodney Terry and our athletes. I have not had any discussions with anybody. That’s way too premature, just Internet fodder.”

Texas AD Chris Del Conte quashed rumors of contact with Kentucky's John Calipari. "That’s news to me. We’ve been focused on supporting Rodney Terry and our athletes. I have not had any discussions with anybody. That's way too premature, just Internet fodder."

— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) January 9, 2023

Branham reported Monday morning that Texas had already reached out to Calipari through backchannels, leading to the reported mutual interest.

Texas parted ways with head coach Chris Beard back on Jan. 5, a decision that came following his arrest for a third-degree felony domestic violence incident on Dec. 12. He was suspended indefinitely following the arrest, with assistant Rodney Terry taking over as the active coach before being named interim for the remainder of the season after Beard was let go.

Now, the search begins for a permanent replacement. Is Calipari a candidate? Del Conte didn’t go out of his way to shut down the possibility down the road, but made it clear nothing is in the works as of today.

The Kentucky head coach stuck with the same script during his call-in radio show Monday evening, confirming Del Conte’s comments earlier in the afternoon. Calipari’s focus remains on the current team and getting things fixed during the back half of the regular season.

And yes, he still loves being in Lexington.

“I haven’t talked to anybody,” Calipari said. “My concern is my guys, this team. I love this job. I love this group.”

To his credit, it’s exactly how Branham expected things to play out following his report earlier in the day. “I figure this will be denied on both sides,” he said.

Sure enough, those public denials came before the day came to a close. Now the wait begins to see if a competitive offer is extended down the road.