Mitch Barnhart: Mark Stoops and Kentucky Football are Taking Steps in the Right Direction

For the better part of the 2025 season, the temperature of Mark Stoops‘ seat at Kentucky has dominated the conversation around Big Blue Nation. Things have changed since mid-October.

Kentucky lost an overtime heartbreaker to Texas. The following week, they snapped a lengthy streak of games without three offensive touchdowns against SEC foes. Kentucky added to the win column by ending a 10-game SEC losing streak with its third-ever win at Auburn. On Saturday, Kentucky snapped a 10-game SEC losing streak at home with its largest victory over Florida since the 1950s.

The mood has certainly shifted around BBN. Kentucky is back in bowl projections, needing two wins over the last three games to return to the postseason after a one-year absence.

“That’s not just a goal, but it’s something we expect to participate in on a fairly regular basis,” Mitch Barnhart said after Tuesday’s Champions Blue LLC meeting. “It gives us a chance to do a lot of things. Have young people continue to grow and practice and work at their craft and get better and spend a little time, and then it gives us a chance to, you know, to take that step. We’ve missed it for the last year or so. We want to make sure we get back to that and experience it again.”

Barnhart expects the Kentucky football program to find its way into the CFP conversation, but knows it cannot happen overnight. However, the UK athletic director believes Mark Stoops has this team trending in the right direction.

“Sometimes when you struggle a bit, you’re working your way back up the mountain, you take steps, and we’re taking steps,” said Barnhart. “We just want to continue to take steps.”

Is Stoops’ job safe after stacking up consecutive SEC wins? Barnhart was asked directly on Tuesday.

“For a decade plus, he and I’ve been together. We’ve journeyed this thing before, and you know, we’ve been together a long time. He loves Kentucky, and we love him, and we just want to keep making progress and doing what we’re doing,” said Barnhart.

“We always sit down at the end of the year, like we always do, and say, Where are we? What are you thinking? What are we thinking? And we’ll always get to that spot. I always do that at the end of the year. That won’t change.”

If Mark Stoops wants to continue coaching the Kentucky Wildcats, it sounds like the job is his. Mitch Barnhart believes Stoops is the right man to help this program climb back up that SEC mountain.

Want more Kentucky football intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.