‘Zero percent chance I walk,’ says Kentucky’s Mark Stoops

Despite suffering a second consecutive defeat in the season, which ended on Saturday 41-0 loss To rival in the state louisville, kentucky Coach Mark Stoops said he’s not 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.”

Stoops completed his 13th season at Kentucky with a 5–7 record after going 4–8 in 2024.

Stoops, 58, is 72-80 overall at Kentucky with 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021. He is making $9 million this year and is signed until June 2031. If fired, Stoops would be owed 75% of his remaining salary, equivalent to approximately $37.7 million.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to stay here,” Stoops said Saturday. “Now I can’t control which decision to make [is going] to be made. If you’re asking me, I said zero. Zero means zero.”

Stoops took a similar stance early in the season when he was asked about a report that he had met with Kentucky administrators to discuss his buyout. He called the report “blatantly 100 percent false”, adding, “There is no defeat in me.”