John Calipari "privately expressed significant/serious interest" in the Ohio State vacancy earlier in the 2023-24 season, according to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.
The Buckeyes fired Chris Holtmann in February, with Jake Diebler taking over on an interim basis. Norlander reported the timing didn't line up for Calipari to become a serious candidate, and OSU ultimately hired Diebler on a permanent basis.
Calipari, meanwhile, is finalizing a five-year contract with Arkansas, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello, which will end his tenure at Kentucky after 15 seasons.
The Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy reported there were rumblings that Calipari's representatives made preliminary contact with Ohio State but that his buyout presented a big hurdle.
It doesn't sound like this was ever close to happening and perhaps Calipari would've been a poor fit with the Buckeyes anyway. To some degree, having this story out there will place even more pressure on Diebler and the administration, though.
Some within a fanbase are bound to feel a little underwhelmed whenever a school promotes the interim coach rather than hiring an outside candidate.
In Diebler's case, an 8-3 finish to close out the year made a compelling argument in his favor, and there appears to be plenty of outside buy-in.
Should Ohio State fall short of expectations in 2024-25, however, the Calipari story is bound to come back up again. The school had a chance — no matter how slim — to land a coach who won a national championship and made four Final Four appearances at Kentucky and basically punted on the idea.
AJ King @allday_ajkingCalipari coulda been ohio state's head coach but we went with the interim 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫
And even if it's not Calipari specifically, his rumored interest will strengthen the perception the Buckeyes could've hired somebody who's more accomplished as a college coach than Diebler.
Athletic director Ross Bjork doesn't even formally start his job until July 1 and he might already have a big litmus test for his administration.
