Report: John Calipari returning as Kentucky coach next season

Field Level Media|published: 03/26/2024, 8:06pm EDT

Mar 15, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Bridgestone Arena. credits: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

John Calipari will return as the head coach of Kentucky in 2024-25, Kentucky Sports Radio reported Tuesday night.

The news came after Calipari reportedly met with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, five days after the third-seeded Wildcats lost to 14th-seeded Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky fans had grown impatient with Calipari after the team bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament twice in three years. The Wildcats wasted a No. 2 seed in 2022 when they fell to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's.

Kentucky, which has won one national title under Calipari (2012), has not reached a Sweet 16 since 2019 or a Final Four since 2015.

Calipari, 65, has gone 410-123 in 15 seasons at Kentucky after stints at UMass (1988-96) and Memphis (2000-09). He has a contract buyout reportedly upwards of $33 million.

—Field Level Media