kentucky Football coach Mark Stoops is expected to be fired and the process will formally begin on Monday, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Kentucky has scheduled a team meeting for 8 a.m. ET to discuss a coaching change, sources tell ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
Stoops completed his 13th season at Kentucky with a 5–7 record after going 4–8 in 2024. Kentucky lost its final game of the year to rival louisville 41-0 On Saturday.
Stoops, 58, went 72-80 during his time at Lexington (82-80 if including the 10-win 2021 season, which was later vacated) and leaves as the winningest coach in school history. Bear Bryant is No. 2.
Stoops brought stability to Kentucky, making bowl games every season from 2016 to 2023 and finishing in the AP top 20 twice.
But there have been very few bright spots at Kentucky over the past two seasons, and despite Stoops being signed through June 2031 and making $9 million this year, the university decided to move on.
Stoops is owed 75% of his remaining salary, which is approximately $37.7 million. This ranks among the top five buyouts in college football history, four of which have come this year (Brian Kelly, $54 millionJames Franklin, $49 million, although he was became less when he took the job But Virginia Techand Jonathan Smith, $33 million).
Stoops’ final two years at Kentucky came in the wake of changes to the NIL and revenue sharing in college football. Before that era, Stoops had some of the best seasons in school history. This includes 10-win seasons in 2021 and 2018, Kentucky’s first since 1977.
He developed Kentucky into a program characterized by toughness and player development. The Wildcats had multiple players selected every year from 2019 to 2025, including four first-round selections during his tenure.
Kentucky appeared to have found its quarterback of the future this season, as Stoops added freshman cutter said As a starter in late September. The move paid off, as Kentucky got texas to overtime and then won three straight games – at golden brown color, Florida And tennessee techBoley threw 15 touchdown passes and completed 65,8% of his throws,
After Saturday’s loss to Louisville, Stoops — who decided to stay at Kentucky when other opportunities presented themselves over the years — said Wasn’t going anywhere,
Asked about the possibility of quitting after the game, Stoops told reporters, “Like, I’m going to walk? Are you kidding me? … There’s zero percent chance I’m going to walk.”
