By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky has parted ways with football coach Mark Stoops the school officially announced Monday morning.
In a statement released by the university, Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said the school has “decided to go in a different direction at head coach.”
Barnhart said a search for the next coach is already under way and added that Stoops left the program in better shape than the one he inherited more than 13 years ago.
“We move forward committed to build upon the strong foundation has been laid and to pursue excellence relentlessly,” he said. “We have begun a national search to identify the next leader of Kentucky football, someone with proven coaching results and a vision for success for Kentucky.”
Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto agreed.
“It is critically important that we are competitive and successful in football,” he said. “That is our goal. It is our focus. We intend to be successful.”
The move comes after Kentucky ended the regular season with a 41-0 blowout loss to rival Louisville on Saturday that came on the heels of a 45-17 loss to Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference finale two weeks ago.
Stoops is owed $37 million within 60 days of his dismissal, according to his contract. A negotiation would reportedly extend the allotted time frame of the buyout. Nothing was mentioned in the press release concerning that part of the deal.
Stoops is the team’s all-time winningest coach and compiled an 72-80 record. He guided the Wildcats to eight consecutive bowl appearances and four bowl wins from 2016-2023. Kentucky also won 10 games twice under Stoops, which came in 2018 and again in 2021 although those wins were later vacated by NCAA because of violations involving football players being paid for hours they did not work in university hospital patient transport. An investigation found no evidence Stoops knew of the rule violations.
Kentucky slumped to 4-8 in 2024 and 5-7 this season with back-to-back shattering losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville keeping them from becoming bowl eligible.
“Kentucky football is positioned for success,” Barnhart said. “We will continue to make the necessary investments to recruit an elite head coach, players and support staff. That includes fully funding revenue-sharing and NIL opportunities, providing state-of-the-art facilities and ensuring our student-athletes have every resource to thrive.”
After the loss to Louisville on Saturday, Stoops said there was “zero chance” he was walking away. But a meeting on Sunday had a different path for the longtime UK coach who has been on the hot season much of the season.
In the release, Barnhart praised Stoops for his “dedication and leadership over the past 13 years” along with a “friendship that is marked by walking these journeys together.
“His tenure transformed the program and reset expectations,” Barnhart said. “His time here was filled with menorable victories, a historic run of consecutive bowl appearances and a commitment to developing young men on and off the field.”
A possible coaching search won’t involve former Kentucky linebacker and assistant coach Jon Sumrall, who on Sunday was hired to become the next coach at Florida.
Sumrall, who has Tulane in line for a college playoff spot, was in the rumor mill most of the year as a potential replacement for Stoops.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, a Kentucky native who played at Louisville but was a diehard Wildcat fan growing up in Louisville, is a leading candidate. The Ducks are preparing for the College Football Playoffs. Other candidates are expected to emerge this week because of a delicate time frame to hire a new coach.
Kentucky has no time to waste to begin putting together a roster before the transfer portal opens in January. Current UK players will have an additional 15-day window to enter the portal beginning five days after the new coach is hired.
“Our mission is clear – to build a championship program for the people of Kentucky,” Barnhart said. “We embrace this moment with optimism and determination, confident that the next chapter will see Kentucky football reach new heights and achieve great success.”