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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is reportedly making some noise around the college basketball world. The Arkansas graduate is said to be offering players incredible NIL deals in order to suit up for his alma mater.
More specifically, he’s targeting Kentucky players and commits in hopes that talented players follow new Razorbacks head coach John Calipari to Fayetteville.
Calipari bailed on the Wildcats this offseason with tensions around Big Blue Nation continuing to grow. Many were upset with the team’s recent NCAA Tournament failures, with some going as far as to call for the coach’s job.
A $33M buyout kept Kentucky from pulling the trigger, but in April, he made the decision for them.
Coach Cal accepted the opening at Arkansas, left by Eric Musselman’s decision to bolt for USC.
While he now takes over a program that’s been to a pair of Elite Eights and a Sweet 16 over the last few seasons, he’s already discovering the difficulties that come along with that change of scenery.
With NIL and the transfer portal dominating college sports, Calipari quickly found himself with an empty roster. Arkansas’s previous contributors left with the former coach, leaving much work to be done on the recruiting trail.
It seems Cal will go to a familiar place to build his team, using previous relationships to quickly fill the voids.
Calipari is targeting Kentucky players, and he appears to have the support of his donors.
Jerry Jones is rumored to be offering ridiculous NIL money to Kentucky stars.
The NFL owner willing to double those players’ NIL income should they transfer to Arkansas, according to a popular college basketball insider account.
Per @trillydonovan’s Discord: Jerry Jones (Arkansas booster) is willing to pay freshmen twice as much as they would get at Kentucky.
What a wild era of college basketball.
— Eli Hershkovich (@EliHershkovich) April 18, 2024
NIL played a large part in John Calipari’s decision to accept the Arkansas gig. While he technically took a pay cut to move to Fayetteville, boosters pledged a massive recruiting budget to provide the head coach with every resource needed to be successful.
And the Hogs have deep pockets with ties to Walmart, Tyson Foods, and JB Hunt logistics.
It looks like Jerry Jones is already doing his part!
John Calipari has already landed one former Kentucky player in the portal, stealing Croatian phenom Zvonimir Ivisic away from Lexington. Arkansas is also rumored to be a contender for former UK five-star commit Boogie Fland.
Could more be on the way?
If Jones has a say, that answer will be, “Yes.”