The Athletic addresses "The Mark Stoops dilemma", questions if Kentucky is stuck

Mark Stoops‘ contract and the massive buyout that comes with it are now becoming national talking points. Saturday’s 35-14 road loss to No. 12 Georgia, coupled with Stoops’ denial of him reportedly attempting to negotiate his buyout clause with athletic director Mitch Barnhart after last season, now has his face on the front page of The Athletic.

Staff writer Seth Emerson addressed what he called “The Mark Stoops dilemma” in an article for The Athletic on Saturday night. Emerson wrote about Stoops’ status as head coach of the Kentucky football program, focusing on his large buyout (close to $40 million if he were fired at the end of the current season) and how he would be owed that money in full by the University within 60 days.

There has been no public indication from Barnhart that Stoops’ job is on the line this season, but Emerson notes the difficulty UK might have cutting ties with him if that ends up being the route the athletic department takes. At what point does sucking it up and buying out Stoops outweigh the apathetic fanbase and the potential financial losses that come with it? What happens then? How would UK come up with that kind of money? That’s the question Emerson poses at the end of his article.

“How this ends — if this ends — remains an open question,” he wrote.

Should Mark Stoops and Kentucky move on from each other, or are they stuck?

His buyout is around $40 million, due within 60 days of firing him. @SethWEmerson from Athens: https://t.co/CQsAhg5odA

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 5, 2025

None of what Emerson wrote is exactly ground-breaking news to the Big Blue Nation — the buyout talking point (and how hard it would be for UK to pay it) has been a conversation for a while now. But with every loss, the noise is growing louder and is expanding beyond the Bluegrass State. Another bye week awaits the Wildcats. Barring a significant change in the coming weeks, a winless SEC record and three-win season will be fully on the table.

The Athletic isn’t the only national outlet talking about this, either. It’s one of the top headlines on the main page of ESPN. Yahoo! Sports senior writer Dan Wolken mentioned Stoops first in his weekly “Misery Index” column from Sunday morning.

“The Misery Index is a firm believer in the idea coaches should not stay anywhere longer than a decade unless they are winning national championships,” Wolken wrote. “Things get stale. People lose their edge and don’t grind as hard as they once did. Fans get tired of hearing the same tropes and stories. It’s the circle of life. Stoops has had good years, but he’s won one of his last 12 SEC games and perhaps it would be best for both sides to think about an amicable divorce.”

Unless the wins begin to pile up, Stoops’ unique contract situation will only continue to make headlines.

[The Athletic: Should Mark Stoops and Kentucky move on from each other, or are they stuck?]