Kentucky to fire Mark Stoops after 13 seasons

Kentucky is moving on from head coach Mark Stoops after a second straight losing season, sources told On3’s Pete Nakos and Chris Low. Stoops just finished his 13th season at Kentucky and is the school’s all-time winningest football coach.

The veteran coach is owed a $38 million buyout, payable within 60 days of his termination if he is fired without cause. Stoops said last week that he would not walk away from coaching the team on his own accord, but when school officials approached him about a separation, Stoops said he would be willing to negotiate an agreement that would allow Kentucky to spread out the payments over a number of years instead of paying it all in one lump sum, per Low.

The Ohio native guided the program to unprecedented consistency, including eight consecutive bowl appearances from 2016 through 2023, a stretch unmatched in school history. Under Stoops, Kentucky shed its label as an SEC bottom-feeder and evolved into a steady contender.

He delivered some of the most memorable moments in recent program history, including a 10-win season in 2018 and 2021, and victories over rivals like Florida and Louisville that once seemed out of reach for the team.

In 2022, Stoops signed a contract extension through the 2030 season, signaling what many believed would be a long-term commitment between the coach and the university. However, the relationship began to fray amid recent struggles on the field and questions about the team’s direction in the competitive SEC landscape.

All in all, Stoops finishes his Kentucky career with a 82-80 record. During that time, he turned it into one of the SEC’s toughest jobs into a stable and respected program. His impact extended beyond the win-loss column, elevating standards and giving Kentucky a football identity to match their basketball tradition.

While the Wildcats enjoyed two different 10-win seasons, as well as a stretch of eight consecutive bowl appearances — the longest streak in program history — during Stoops tenure, success has tapered off in recent seasons. Over the past two years, Kentucky has failed to make the postseason and won nine total games during that stretch.

Stoops’ final game at Kentucky was a 41-0 loss to Louisville on the road. The Wildcats were playing for bowl eligibility, coming into the regular season finale with a 5-6 record before getting shutout by their ailing rival. Louisville had lost three games in a row coming into the contest and was missing much of its offensive production. Still, the Cardinals dominated Kentucky in all three phases of the game.

The search for Stoops’ successor will begin immediately, as Kentucky looks to build on the foundation he helped establish over the past decade. We’ll see if the next hire can reach the same heights Stoops did over his time in Lexington.