Scott Drew Has Best Odds to be Next Kentucky Coach

Posted on April 8, 2024

John Calipari will be the next head coach at Arkansas, leaving the Kentucky Wildcats to search for a new head coach for the first time in over 15 years.

There aren’t many basketball programs out there that are as prestigious as Kentucky. Aside from Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina, there aren’t names with the same kind of brand power as the Wildcats.

When reports surfaced about Calipari leaving, athletic directors across the country started taking a look at the buyouts associated with the head basketball coaches’ contracts. Because if Kentucky comes calling, there’s not a coach in the country that isn’t going to answer and at least hear an offer.

Several Big 12 coaches are on the shortlist of candidates, but BetOnline has one Big 12 coach who is much higher on this list than the others.

Baylor head basketball coach Scott Drew is listed as the heavy favorite to land the job, currently at 1/1 odds. In other words, Vegas feels that there’s a 50% chance that Drew will be the next coach at Kentucky. Alabama head coach Nate Oats is next on the list at 3/1 odds, and New Mexico’s Richard Pitino at 7/1 to round out the top three.

In total, seven Big 12 coaches landed on the list: Scott Drew, Baylor (1/1), Mark Pope, BYU (10/1), Kelvin Sampson, Houston (12/1), Jamie Dixon, TCU (16/1), TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State (25/1), Jerome Tang, Kansas Staet (33/1), Bill Self, Kansas (50/1).

Here’s a look at the full list, courtesy of BetOnline.