Arkansas' John Calipari Says He'll Retire from CBB Before Becoming 'Transactional' HC

The shifting model for college athletics means coaches have to change the way they approach recruiting and the transfer portal, but Arkansas head coach John Calipari isn't willing to change his ways.

Calipari, said at SEC media days on Tuesday that he has no plans to retire soon, but will do so if he can no longer coach the way he wants.

"I want to help 25 to 30 more families," Calipari said. "The only way you do that is to be transformational as a coach. If you're not, you're transactional. If I become transactional -- 'I'm going to pay you this to do this and that' -- then I won't do this anymore. I don't need to."

Calipari is one of the greatest coaches of his generation and has found much of his success through 5-star, one-and-done players—Anthony Davis, John Wall, Karl-Anthony Towns, to name a few. While many of his players have stuck around for just one season before leaving for the NBA, Calipari has gotten to know them and their families through years of recruiting.

He said if he can no longer build relationships with his players, he'll know it's time to call it a career.

For now, he'll continue coaching and try to do it the same way he always has, even if that means sacrificing talent.

One such way Calipari has rejected the changing college basketball landscape is his transfer policy. If a player enters their name into the transfer portal, they are not welcome back to Calipari's team.

"That's why if someone puts their name in the portal, I say, 'You're not coming back,' because it's not going to be transactional," Calipari said.

The Razorbacks lost a pair of key players to the transfer portal this offseason in Boogie Fland, who left for Florida, and Zvonimir Ivisic, who transferred to Illinois.

The good news for Arkansas fans is that, even if Calipari's approach drives some players away, he's still an elite recruiter known for getting his players to the next level.

The Razorbacks have the No. 5 recruiting class for the class of 2025, according to 247Sports, and have a pair of 5-star freshmen joining the squad in Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas.

The changes to the college basketball landscape have driven coaches like Jay Wright, Tony Bennett and Bruce Pearl away from coaching in recent years. Calipari isn't ready to be done just yet, but he has now made clear what it would take for him to retire.