Will The Next Coach at Memphis Have Anyone to Coach?

The fallout of John Calipari leaving Memphis looks to be immediate and swift. John Wall is obviously not going to Memphis without John Calipari. The disintegration of one of the best recruiting classes ever is the first and obvious casualty.

DeMarcus Cousins has not signed his Letter of Intent (LOI), so he is free to sign with another program with no encumbrance. All of the other recruits that have signed LOIs -- Xavier Henry, Will Coleman, Nolan Dennis and Darnell Dodson -- they apparently have an additional clause to their LOIs. Specifically, if Calipari is not the coach at Memphis, they will be released from their LOIs without restrictions.

Carol Dennis, the mother of University of Memphis recruit Nolan Dennis, told The Commercial Appeal Monday that the letter-of-intent her son signed last fall contains an addendum that would allow him to follow Calipari to another school.

All four players who signed with Memphis in the fall have the same unconditional release in their letters.

Carol Dennis said it was not fair to say that her son would definitely ask out of his letter if Calipari were to go to Kentucky.

It actually gets worse.

The same article notes that present members of the Memphis team -- Wesley Witherspoon, Roburt Sallie and Angel Garcia -- are already considering transfers without Calipari in charge. That would be in addition to seniors Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson graduating.

To say nothing of Tyreke Evans not wasting any time in declaring for the NBA Draft after his freshman year. It is not exactly a shock, that Evans was one-and-done. That was expected from the talented guard, but he essentially declared as soon as he found out Calipari was leaving.

The only players that appear certain to return are the juniors Shawn Taggart, Robert Dozier, Pierre Henderson-Niles and Doneal Mack. Players that would have no eligibility left to transfer.

Memphis has money, a vibrant fanbase, excellent facilities and expectations to offer any coach they pursue. The one thing they may not have for a couple years are players.