Gov. Andy Beshear calls out University of Kentucky leadership amid Mitch Barnhart role controversy

Governor Andy Beshear just joined the growing list of people concerned about how things are being run at the University of Kentucky; in fact, one of the people in question might go as far as to call him a knucklehead.

Governor Beshear issued a statement on social media on Tuesday afternoon criticizing the university’s management and decision-making, specifically regarding “the creation of a new $1 million job with no defined duties” and the hiring of the new dean of the law school. The latter refers to U.S. District Judge Greg Van Tatenhove being named the dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, a controversial decision opposed by the UK’s faculty. Unless the University of Kentucky has created another $1 million job out of thin air in the last month, the former is almost certainly a reference to Mitch Barnhart’s new role as the school’s Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative, which will be effective July 1.

“I am losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making at the University of Kentucky,” Governor Beshear’s statement says. “My concerns include the creation of a new $1 million job that has no defined duties and the announcement that the new dean of law was the only candidate not recommended by law school faculty. I’ve been told that, despite previously saying that the dean must be approved by UK’s Board of Trustees, the university has shifted and now states that approval is not needed. I worry that these actions are related to certain donors pushing partisan and undue outside influence onto the university. I hope students, faculty, trustees and the community attend this week’s board meetings and ask the tough questions that should be answered.”

A statement from Gov. Beshear. pic.twitter.com/DgoI8NjfGO

— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) April 21, 2026

Barnhart’s new role has been the subject of plenty of criticism since he announced his retirement in early March. His contract initially included a clause for him to step down as athletic director and become a special assistant to UK President Eli Capilouto, with a base salary of $800,000. It was amended in early March to include the new Executive in Residence role, which has a base salary of $950,000; a retention incentive of $650,000, up from the $450,000 bonus agreed upon in 2021; and 10 tickets for each UK home football game, men’s basketball game, and baseball game for life. Barnhart will also continue to receive benefits (health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, long-term disability, etc.) and his country club membership.

All of this for a job that didn’t exist until Capilouto came up with it during the final stretch of Barnhart’s run as AD. In the amended contract, the role has just four responsibilities, none specific in nature. Initially, UK spokesman Jay Blanton said the job would be funded by the university’s general fund, but later said it would be on the athletic department’s payroll.

Barnhart clapped back at the backlash over his new role during his retirement press conference, calling out the “two or three knuckleheads” who think he will “sit in a rocking chair and eat hay” for the rest of his life. At the time, we narrowed that group of knuckleheads down to Drew Franklin, Matt Jones, former Herald-Leader columnist Linda Blackford, and prominent UK booster Brett Setzer. Now, there’s a much more famous and powerful member, who wants answers for what’s going down at UK.

UK’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet on Friday, April 24. I have a feeling Governor Beshear’s statement will be part of the agenda.