The University of Kentucky parted ways with head Coach Mark Stoops after his 13th season with Kentucky football, according to a statement from UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart.
Stoops was the longest-tenured coach in Kentucky football history and, according to UK Athletics, the longest-serving among all current SEC coaches. He also leaves as the winningest coach in program history, having shaped the trajectory of Kentucky football for more than a decade.
UK now owes Stoops the rest of his contract, and with his buyout priced at $38 million, this is one of the priciest firings college football has ever seen, according to CBS Sports.
Per the contract, the university must pay Stoops within 60 days, but there is speculation that alterations were made for Stoops to receive installments of his buyout over several years.
The termination followed a season-ending 41-0 loss to University of Louisville where UK did not earn bowl game eligibility. The rivalry loss topped off the team’s 5-7 overall record, where they were 2-6 in the SEC and ranked 11th.
Stoops’ Contributions
- Led Kentucky to seven bowl appearances
- Put together a 16-game nonconference win streak from 2018-22, the longest active streak in the nation at the time
- Reached a top-10 ranking in both major polls on Sept. 11, 2022 — the first since 2007
- Earned Kentucky’s first home win over Florida since 1986 in 2021 and its first win over a top-10 opponent since 2010
- Delivered the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl win since 1951 in the 2018 season
- Became Kentucky’s first SEC Coach of the Year since 1983 (2018)
