John Calipari: Arkansas players ‘have a piano on their back’ with NIL pressure

When John Calipari took over at Arkansas this year, he was expected to have an increase in NIL funds. That came to fruition in a big way, as On3’s Pete Nakos reported, and the Razorbacks are heading to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Arkansas, which lost its first five SEC games. The Razorbacks wound up finishing 8-10 in league play to come in as No. 10 seed in Calipari’s first season at the helm. Freshman guard Boogie Fland also suffered what was initially feared to be a season-ending injury, but he was able to return for March Madness.

As he worked to stabilize things, Calipari said difficult conversations took place. They weren’t about the state of the program, though. Instead, he cited the pressure of NIL as a hurdle Arkansas players had to overcome.