John Calipari led the Arkansas Razorbacks to the Sweet 16, making it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in his illustrious career. The Razorbacks ran into a buzzsaw on Thursday, falling 109-88 to the one-seeded Arizona Wildcats.
Despite the tough close to the campaign, Calipari has proved that he can still elevate a program to the highest level of the sport. The rest of college basketball has noticed the job Coach Cal has done in Fayetteville.
CBS Sports college basketball analyst Chris Walker thinks that one of the sport’s “blue bloods” should be pursuing Calipari’s services.
The North Carolina Tar Heels parted ways with head coach Hubert Davis following a round of 64 loss to the VCU Shockers, and Walker feels Calipari should be at the top of the list of potential replacements in Chapel Hill.
“Carolina, you want to win? Go hire John Calipari,” Walker said during a studio segment for CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament. “If you wanted to become what it used to be…
“Go hire John Calipari and watch what happens. Forget about all the stuff that you think comes with him. You bring that guy there, the world changes. Forget about NIL, forget about any of that stuff. He’s the one guy that transcends everything.”
“Carolina, if you want to win, go hire John Calipari!”@CWalkerSports says UNC should target John Calipari if they want to return to their previous dominance. pic.twitter.com/MVQZnwfShj
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 26, 2026
There’s no denying Calipari has proved he can win anywhere, and his landing in Chapel Hill would be all but guaranteed to turn the Tar Heels into immediate national championship contenders. Still, it’s hard to imagine a school like North Carolina that values its “Carolina Way” and hasn’t been led by a head coach from outside the North Carolina Family since Bill Guthridge became the head coach in 1997.
If the Tar Heels do pursue Calipari, they may find that his values align with the university’s more than expected.