"Good. Leave": John Calipari gets 100% real about the one-time NCAA transfer rule

Arkansas coach John Calipari is viewed by most as one of the most respected coaches in the college basketball world. He has had plenty of success in his many coaching tenures, most notably with the Kentucky Wildcats throughout the 2010s. As a result, when he says something, people tend to listen.

One of the most significant topics in college sports right now is the impact of NIL and the transfer portal. There are many who believe players should not be able to transfer as much as they have been. John Calipari spoke at a press conference on Wednesday about what he thinks about the rules.

One thing that Calipari brought up was that players should be able to transfer if the coach leaves, because they often come to a school because of the coach. However, he admitted that if they want to transfer more than once, they should have to sit out a year.

"I think kids should be able to transfer. I don't have any issue with that," Calipari said (Timestamp 37:45). "Once without penalty. And whatever happened, the coach said something. He lied to you? Good. Leave. You don't have to — you picked the wrong school. He picked the wrong guy. Leave. If the coach leaves and goes to another school, you should be able to leave.

"Because we can all say what we want, they went to the school because of the coach. Now, does that make you mad? You could be sad, mad, peed on, peed off — that’s a fact. That’s why they go to the school, for that. So if he leaves and you want to leave — if you want to stay, stay. If you want to leave, you leave. Other than that, sit out a year."

John Calipari is heading into his second season at Arkansas

John Calipari speaking about the transfer problem is relevant because he switched schools recently. After a long tenure at Kentucky, he left the team following the 2023-24 season. He joined the Arkansas Razorbacks, which would have been disappointing to many Kentucky players. As a result, he understands why some chose to transfer.

Calipari is now heading into his second season with the Razorbacks with a team that should be much less in flux than in his first season. Despite it being a transitional year, he still led his team to an appearance in the Sweet 16 of March Madness this past season.