KSR Today: Stoops Out, Search On, and a Wild Week Ahead

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. We’re running on fumes, coffee, and excitement for the future after a whirlwind Sunday in Lexington. You’ve probably heard by now that Mark Stoops is out as Kentucky’s head football coach, ending a 13-year run that reshaped the program until the sport evolved around him. Kentucky’s results took a dive over the last couple of years, and a change was needed to have any fan support next season. Now, Kentucky turns the page and begins a new coaching search. It will move fast, and the next chapter is already underway. Let’s get to it on Day 1 of the new era.

The last two weeks were too much to overcome

Stoops actually played his way back into decent standing with that three-game win streak, beating Auburn on the road, getting another one on Florida, and cruising past Tennessee Tech. But when it came time to finish the season, everything fell apart. Kentucky followed those wins with back-to-back blowout losses, a 45-17 collapse at Vanderbilt and a 41-0 shutout at Louisville. If those games are remotely competitive, he’s almost certainly still in his office this morning. “Back to work,” he’d always say. Instead, the bottom dropped out at the worst possible time.

It started to crumble in 2022

Though the last two weeks were the nail in the coffin, Nick Roush detailed all that went into the multi-year decline, beginning with Jim Harbaugh, of all people, and the 2022 coaching carousel. As Roush explains, the carousel disrupted Stoops’ plans in Lexington and, in turn, set off a chain of other events that negatively impacted Kentucky Football. Read Roush’s timeline of missteps here: What Went Wrong for Mark Stoops at Kentucky.

Stoops agreed to restructure his buyout

One detail that helped make Sunday night’s decision possible was Stoops’ willingness to help out on the financial side of his exit. According to On3 college football writer Chris Low, Stoops wasn’t going to resign on his own, as Stoops made clear in his postgame comments on Saturday, but when Kentucky approached him about a separation, he agreed to negotiate a restructured buyout. Instead of the university having to pay the full $38 million within 60 days, the revised terms allow those payments to be spread out over a longer period, likely still being worked out.

KSBoard was the place to be yesterday (and still is today and beyond)

Sunday felt like the old days of KSR, when all you could really do was hit refresh and hope for an update, any update. KSBoard was buzzing from morning to night, with fans glued to their screens as rumors shifted and whispers popped up, all in anticipation of Mitch Barnhart’s move.

When the news finally dropped late Sunday night, a panel of KSR personalities, plus special guest Jeff Drummond, jumped on YouTube for a long Rapid Reaction to break down what happened and what’s ahead. You can see that conversation in its entirety below.

Now the coaching search is officially underway, and KSR/KSR+/KSBoard will be the front row seat for every twist, turn, leak, and development still to come. Can’t wait? Adam Luckett already has a Hot Board of potential candidates.

Also, be sure to take advantage of the new sign-up special for KSBoard and KSR+. There’s never been a better time to jump in.

JUCO safety decommitted two days after committing

Just a few days after making his commitment to Kentucky, JUCO safety Da’Mare Williams announced Sunday that he’s reopening his recruitment, quickly backing off his pledge to help the Wildcats next season. Williams, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety from Smoky Mountain (Sylva, N.C.), had just visited Lexington and planned to enroll in January.

When Williams decommitted, it hadn’t been made public that Kentucky was moving on from Mark Stoops. Now, you can expect several more decommitments to come. That’s how it goes.

New KSR Football Podcast incoming

Later today, let’s say 2:00 p.m., the KSR Football Podcast will jump into the latest news and updates around the coaching search. We don’t know what this morning has in store on the newswire, but we’ll stream live on KSR’s YouTube channel to break it all down, whatever that is.

Kentucky Volleyball earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament

As expected, Kentucky Volleyball earned a top seed on Selection Sunday, officially landing the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the honor of hosting a regional in Lexington. The Wildcats will stay inside Historic Memorial Coliseum for as long as they keep winning through the regional finals after sweeping both the SEC regular season and tournament.

UK opens the NCAA on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET against Wofford on ESPN+, following the UCLA-Georgia Tech match at 4:30. The two winners will meet Friday night at 7 p.m. for a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. All-session tickets go on sale this morning at 10 a.m., with single-session options available Tuesday.

Kentucky Basketball plays UNC tomorrow night

Kentucky Basketball is back on Cawood’s Court tomorrow night, and Mark Pope could really use a win. The Wildcats are 0-2 in marquee games so far, and now they get a North Carolina team led by Caleb Wilson, the freshman star who was widely expected to be a Wildcat before flipping to UNC at the eleventh hour.

Wilson is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent, making him a very real problem. UK needs to keep him in check and show some life on the big stage. The fan base is desperate for good news right now, and tomorrow night is a great opportunity to deliver it. It’s a late one, though… 9:30 p.m. on ESPN, part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh will preview the game

At some point today, Collin Chandler and Otega Oweh will represent the locker room in a press conference to preview the UNC game. The second-year Wildcats were on the losing end of last season’s ACC/SEC Challenge at Clemson, so they know the importance of the December showcase game. As always, KSR will be there to cover their comments. We have a lot going on around here, if you can’t tell.

The first NET Rankings and new AP/Coaches Polls drop today

Mondays bring new AP and coaches’ college basketball polls each week, but today also marks the 2025-26 debut of the sport’s NET Rankings. Here’s a reminder of the NET’s quadrant system:

• Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
• Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
• Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
• Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

Kentucky’s only played Quad 1 (0-2) and Quad 4 (5-0) games. The Wildcats are ranked No. 19 (AP) and 18 (Coaches) heading into today’s reshuffles.

On the women’s side, No. 16/15 Kentucky WBB may see a small slide in the rankings after a loss to Maryland last week.

“NFL Cover Zero” postponed until after KSR

With everything going on last night, your favorite NFL podcast had to postpone the new episode until today. Matt and I will record the Week 13 recap episode immediately after KSR, so look for it later this afternoon on Apple or however you consume podcasts.

Before that, a new edition of KSR’s morning show is live from 10 a.m. to noon. We have plenty to say. By my math, that’s around five straight hours of shows for me coming up. I should drink some water and publish this post. Go Cats.