What is Mark Stoops’ buyout? Kentucky fans are beyond ready to move on
The Kentucky Wildcats are about to be 4-8, and Big Blue Nation wants Mark Stoops out of there!
The longest tenured head coach in the SEC may not be that after this season. With Nick Saban retired after last year, Mark Stoops has been employed longer than any head coach in the SEC. He has been the face of Kentucky football since 2013. After a slow start to his Lexington tenure, Stoops helped transform UK into a regular bowl team. However, this season has done a number on the fans…
Down big early to instate rival Louisville, more and more members of Big Blue Nation are starting wo wonder what Stoops’ buyout is. While it is quite massive, keep in mind that we have seen coaches with bigger buyouts be let go before quite recently. Also, keep in mind that Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart no longer has to deal with John Calipari’s shenanigans on the hardwood after he left.
Stoops has brought a ton of winning to Kentucky, something I cannot say I saw a lot of during my formative and collegiate years as a college football fan. However, Kentucky’s offenses are often the reason why the Wildcats are never seriously competing for SEC championships. Stoops is too defensive-minded for his own good, now that the SEC has done away with divisions, which hurts UK…
According to USA TODAY’s coaching salary database, it would cost Kentucky $44,437,500 to fire him.
There is only one reason to move on from Stoops for that amount, and that is to hire Jon Sumrall.
For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.
Kentucky Wildcats football floundering: What is Mark Stoops’ buyout?
At a tick over $44 million, you have to wonder if the Kentucky boosters have had enough of Stoops in recent years. Every three seasons or so, Kentucky will do enough offensively to win around 10 games. However, their inability to beat Georgia has culminated in the Wildcats’ inherent limitations under Stoops. Even in the 12-team College Football Playoff format, would they ever make the field?
Right now, I would be patient if I were Kentucky. Accept that the Brock Vandagriff transfer portal transaction was a huge failure, and just move on. I think it was a lot to ask for incoming offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan to make the most out of a player who probably committed to Kentucky to play for Liam Coen, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hamdan knows what he is doing.
Stoops is always a candidate to replace Kirk Ferentz at his alma mater of Iowa anyway. Ferentz is not young and could be ousted or retire after any given season. Again, the only head coach I would hire over Stoops in this cycle would be one of his proteges in Kentucky alum and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. He is the next rockstar head coach who is making his way up from the Group of Five soon.
With how pitiful the Wildcats look at home vs. Louisville, I could understand making a change here.
Kentucky AD risks repeating a John Calipari-sized mistake with Mark Stoops
Kentucky might be feeling deja vu with their football coach after loss to Louisville adds to dud of a season.
Mark Stoops made it clear he’s not leaving Lexington anytime soon. Albeit controversial, he made a stance that Kentucky’s best chance to turn things around after an abysmal 4-8 record this year lies on his shoulders.
“Everyone wants to replace me right now,” Stoops said, per Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio. “But I am not going anywhere. My butt will be in my office tomorrow. Anyone who wants me to be gone anywhere is wishful thinking. My butt is going to work.”
In a way, it’s the right mindset. It’s the words of a coach who knows things haven’t been good as of late. It’s the tone that says Stoops isn’t pleased with how his team has played and he’s poised to build it back up.
But it’s also a tone-deaf response to a fan base that is desperate for either answers or change. And Kentucky committing to Stoops is a similar feeling to what happened with John Calipari with the Wildcats basketball program.
For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.
Kentucky AD risks repeating a John Calipari-sized mistake with Mark Stoops
Stoops knows he’s not going anywhere thanks to a massive buyout that’s upwards of $40 million to part ways with him. And his contract has a built-in incentive that every year he reaches seven wins, he gets a year tacked onto the end of his contract.
On one hand, you see why Kentucky wanted to be loyal to Stoops. He’s been the most successful coach in school history and turned them from a bottom-feeder in the SEC to one that’s at least respectable.
But as he’s tasked with another rebuild of the Wildcats’ program, is he really the best person to do it this time around? Most coaches who have been with a program for 12 years don’t go through multiple phases of rebuilding.
They typically do their first rebuild and have sustainability where they are competitive but aren’t always atop the conference. Kentucky isn’t in a sustainable spot. And Kentucky is quickly realizing it might have made the same mistake with its football coach as it did its basketball coach.
Stoops’ contract makes him feel like he’s bulletproof. And it’s only hurting the program, which has won more than eight games twice since 2018. Yes, the SEC is a tough conference. It’s hard to recruit against the powerhouses and hard to have sustainable success.
But with a contract like Stoops, he doesn’t get the leeway others might. They didn’t just give him the contract because they thought he was the best coach, but because they expected results. They’ve dipped this season and it could be the beginning of a landslide in the depths of SEC failure.
