Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts during the second half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Simmons Bank Arena. Arkansas won 82-58. Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Arkansas HC John Calipari: 'Lot of of older gentlemen with beards' playing college basketball

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 11:03 PM ET

In an era of COVID-19, seniors, NIL and the transfer portal being more utilized than ever before, it's not at all uncommon to see college athletes playing collegiate sports into their mid-20s.

Arkansas head coach John Calipari has certainly noticed, and the Head Hog made an amusing comment about the rising age of college athletes after No. 25 Arkansas' 82-58 win over Fresno State on Saturday.

"Look, there are a lot of older gentlemen with beards playing basketball in college right now," Calipari said in his postgame news conference on Saturday. "The one that's crazy is the kid that, the guy comes in, and he's waving to his kids up in the seats. And you're like, 'wait a minute. That guy's got two kids, he's playing college basketball.'

"Crazy thing, he's using NIL for his first wife's alimony. And now he's still playing college basketball. Are we nuts?"

"Crazy thing, he's using NIL for his first wife's alimony, and he's still playing college basketball, are we nuts?"

Coach Calipari truly has the best quotes of all time. #WPS pic.twitter.com/hWfV9Y9erc
— Courtney Mims (@MimsCourtney) December 7, 2025

Calipari isn't wrong, either. Per Sportico, the average age of the starting lineup for a Sweet 16 team in March 2025 was 21.6. The oldest player in college basketball is 29-year-old Ramel Bethea, who plays at Green Bay. USC guard Chad Baker-Mazara, 25, is in his sixth season of college basketball and his fourth school.

No. 6 Louisville, which lost to Arkansas on Dec. 3, has the oldest roster in the ACC at 20.25 years old.

Those numbers prove that college basketball is no longer a sport dominated by young guns that flash NBA potential in their first or second season at the college level.

John Calipari's Hogs are on the younger side of the spectrum

Calipari's Arkansas team, however, is certainly on the younger side of the Southeastern Conference and the nation.

Freshmen Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas have proven to be Arkansas' most consistent players, and the Razorbacks have only three seniors on their roster: Trevon Brazile, Malique Ewin and graduate senior Nick Pringle.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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