Baylor's Scott Drew declined Kentucky's offer to replace John Calipari as the Wildcats men's basketball coach and will remain with the Bears.

Drew issued a statement on Thursday confirming he will continue at Baylor:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported Drew became the latest candidate to rebuff Kentucky's interest. UConn coach Dan Hurley, former Villanova coach Jay Wright and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan have all publicly declined interest in the opening this week.

Drew was seen as not only a top target but also a realistic one. He has a friendship with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, and Drew and his family visited Lexington on Wednesday. Ultimately, Drew decided to stay at Baylor, a program he's built in his image since taking the job in his mid-30s.

Drew has only been to the Final Four once in 21 seasons at Baylor but made the most of the opportunity, winning the 2021 national championship. He has a 446-244 overall record during his tenure.

Calipari left Kentucky this week to take the head coaching job at Arkansas, a move that rocked the college basketball world. Calipari reached the Final Four four times and won the 2012 national championship at Kentucky, finishing his tenure with the second-most wins for a coach in program history (410).

Kentucky will now go back to the drawing board with a job that ranks among the most coveted in college basketball but also has massive shoes to fill. The yearly churn of Kentucky's recruitment style requires a quick search to help salvage some of the 2024 recruiting class.

Jayden Quaintance, a 5-star forward, already reopened his recruitment, as did 4-star center Somto Cyril.

Recruit rankings via 247Sports.