Despite winning, Arkansas seems to be barely scrambling through the season. In their latest 75-60 victory over Texas-San Antonio, the first half was slow for the Razorbacks and they went into half-time with a five-point deficit. However, junior forward Adou Thiero was the hero of the second half, as he helped the John Calipari-led team achieve victory with 17 points. They are now 7-2 and improved to 6-0 at home. While Thiero impressed the viewers, what about the rest of the team?

In a new episode of ‘The Field of 68: After Dark‘, Jeff Goodman discussed how some of the top NIL teams on the circuit are performing at an all-time low. “Three teams that are top 5, maybe 7, in NIL right now, are Arkansas, Kansas State, and Indiana. All three of are right now are struggling mightily.”

Coming to John Calipari and his team, he stated, “Arkansas’ best win? At a Miami team that’s lost six in a row right now. Those three teams [Arkansas, Kansas State, and Indiana], just because you have a big payroll, and I think all three of them are paying out more than 5 million and I think Arkansas and Kansas State are well over that…it doesn’t mean you’re gonna win. So you have to be smart in how you go about it and put together a team that fits.”

Back in April, the Razorbacks were in a state of distress as the head coach declared, “There is no team… We gotta get a roster together.” Eight players had hit the transfer portal and Trevon Brazile planned to go pro, among other issues. What Calipari could count on was the NIL war chest, as On3 put it, and reported that have at least $5 million annually in NIL funds to disperse, per a source, who also revealed that the estimated budget would be closer to $6 million.

This places the Razorbacks at the top, where typical Power 5 budgets range from $1 to $4 million.

But as has been proven in the last three years since NIL was introduced in 2021, a high payroll does not ensure a championship-winning team. Remember Kansas boasting the largest NIL payroll in the 2023-24 season? Moreover, there might be other issues with the current Arkansas squad as Goodman pointed out, “A couple of those [teams], their staff are a little bit questionable. Their offenses are a little bit questionable.”

The Razorbacks’ Boogie Fland seems to be leading the charge on offense right now, averaging 15 points and 5.2 assists this season. However, their three-pointers are still a concern as the entire roster shot 36.2% on 3-pointers so far in 2024.

Nevertheless, the head coach is working on his team. And if anyone attempts to go to Fayetteville for the money, well, Calipari has already shared his thoughts about the same.

John Calipari is not ready to entertain players who are all about NIL

The college sports scene has changed significantly in the last three years, but instead of letting him affect it negatively as veteran coaches might, John Calipari has taken it in stride. Whichever team he’s working for, the sales have changed from sending players to the NBA quickly to helping players earn huge NIL deals.

“If a kid says to me, ‘Well, what’s the number?’ Well, I’m probably not taking that kid,” the Razorbacks’ head hog told former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski on his Sirius XM radio show in October. “If that’s all it’s about – NIL – there are other places they can go.”

“I’ve tried to tell the NCAA, they’ve obviously never listened to me, but if they made decisions all based on the kids, they’ll all be right decisions,” Calipari continued. “But they don’t. They make decisions on authority and controlling and other sports and all this [other stuff]. … The reason we’re doing this is for them. We have to make this better for them, and it’s not. And it’s not only better for them, it’s screwing up the sport.”

He is of the opinion that the rule changes made by the NCAA have not been with the benefit of the athlete in mind.

The NIL will continue to dominate the minds of many student-athletes with opportunities to grow in their basketball career while also earning. But the rule set out in 2021 has certainly made things quite difficult for coaches. However, it is still the game of basketball that matters the most, and hopefully, things will take a turn for the better for Calipari sooner rather than later. What do you think?