The speculation is over.

Today.

Coach John Calipari, coach of the UK men's basketball team for 15 years announced he is leaving the program.

Here's part of what the coach said this afternoon.

This is a dream job.

It was my dream job.

Anybody in our profession looks at the University of Kentucky basketball and said that is the bluest of blue.

The last few weeks we've come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice that the university as a whole has to have another voice giving guidance about this program that they hear and the fans need to hear another voice.

We've loved it here, but we think it's time for us to step away.

Coach Calipari did not mention the coaching job at the University of Arkansas.

There are media reports he is talking about a deal to coach there for five years.

Calipari's decision comes after the Cats, his first round loss in this year's NCAA tournament.

Some fans were unhappy about that and other early exits from the tournament in recent years.

It also comes after athletics director Mitch Barnhart said Calipari would return for another season.

Yesterday, we talked to longtime Kentucky sportscaster Dick Gabriel about what changed.

Calipari Going into that meeting with Mitch Barnhart didn't have much leverage.

Mitch had the leverage.

But now when you've got somebody else in your corner who is a viable candidate for your services, I mean, if, you know, junior college came in and tried to hire him.

No.

This is Arkansas, powerful school with deep, deep pockets and all kinds of booster money out there from Tyson Chicken and Wal-Mart.

They come in and say, we want you and we'll do what it takes to get you.

That's leverage.

Calipari, as I'm told, said, here's what it's going to take to keep me and you case and I don't think so.

You got a fan base that's unhappy.

You have an institution that is not satisfied with what's been happening and you've got another school that would be happy to have them.

So, you know, when you factor in the fans, this might be a win win win if such a thing is possible now.

That all depends, of course, on who Kentucky ultimately hires.

As I understand it, they're going to make Danny Hurley say no.

They'll reach out to Nate Oats.

They're in the conference in Alabama who just signed an extension.

But now there are funds available to buy him out because you don't have to spend twice as much to buy out.

Calipari.

I think you've got to look at Drew down and Baylor, you know, maybe Tad Golden at Florida.

You've got a hot coach at Iowa State.

But you go for those names who are more than just names.

They're accomplished coaches.

But you're Kentucky.

You have what you believe to be the premier basketball program in the country.

So you owe it to yourself.

You owe it to your fan base, to your tradition to go out and get what you believe is the best coach possible.

John Calipari came here from Memphis.

He had already gotten commitments from the likes of DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall.

And when Calipari switched to Kentucky, so did they.

Fans need to remember that they followed him here.

And I don't think they'll follow him to Arkansas.

This job is a meat grinder.

And in fact, Tubby Smith told me while he was still here and he had a conversation with Lou Holtz, who left Notre Dame for South Carolina, and he said Holtz told him privately, man, you got to get out of there because it's the kind of job that just wears a coach down.

And Calipari kind of kids around when he talks about how you age in dog years, when you coach at Kentucky.

But he's not wrong.

I mean, when you look at the weight on his shoulders that he's carried, quite frankly, he's carried it well.

He's done more for the people in the state of Kentucky when it comes to tornado relief, a hurricane relief telethon for Haiti than we had for him at WKYC.

He has done so much for people across the commonwealth.

But in this day and age, well, it's always been this way in Kentucky.

It's what have you done for me lately?

So now he has a chance for a fresh start at his age at Arkansas.

And that doesn't happen very often.

On social media.

Mitch Barnhart, thank Calipari for his years at Duke and said the University is working to hire, quote, a proven, highly dedicated coach who embraces the importance of this program and quote.