Mark Stoops agreed to restructured buyout with Kentucky

Mark Stoops has been fired at Kentucky, but the divorce will not totally crush the school financially — not immediately, anyway. His $38 million was a major sticking point in firing conversations, obviously, but the biggest was the fact that it all had to be paid out within 60 days of his termination.

That is no longer the case, according to On3’s Chris Low.

Rather than the lump-sum payout, Stoops was reportedly willing to play ball with Kentucky, spreading the money out over the course of several years. It may have been the only path to a breakup, and fortunately for all parties involved, that became the reality.

“He’s owed a $38 million buyout that is payable within 60 days of his termination if fired without cause,” Low wrote. “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.”

Stoops was never going to walk away on his own, but when Kentucky approached him about a separation, he said he would be willing to negotiate an agreement allowing UK to spread out payments over a number of years instead of paying $38 million buyout within 60 days of his firing. https://t.co/VvxPDDLTrp

— Chris Low (@clowfb) December 1, 2025

What’s next for the program? A team meeting has been called for early Monday morning, according to Football Scoop’s John Brice. That will confirm the departure internally and set the tone for potential holdbacks with the next coaching staff.

More @UKFootball news: Multiple Sources tell @FootballScoop that Kentucky has scheduled a team meeting for 8am Monday. More here on Mark Stoops’s firing from my guy @CoachSamz: https://t.co/YxjwjYLKTj

— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) December 1, 2025

As for the coaching search itself, that’s expected to move quickly. In fact, “the search for the program’s new leader is already underway,” according to Football Scoop.

Will Stein, Brian Hartline and Dan Mullen are the early names to keep a close eye on — specifically the 36-year-old Oregon offensive coordinator, who grew up a diehard Kentucky fan despite being a native of Louisville and suiting up for the Cardinals in college.

None of it would be possible without Stoops’ wiggle room on the buyout, and for that, we are thankful.