Kentucky rumored to be firing head coach Mark Stoops after 13 seasons

Kentucky is reportedly preparing to relieve longtime head coach Mark Stoops of his duties following consecutive disappointing seasons, according to ESPNs Pete Thamel. The formal announcement is expected to take place on Monday.

The Wildcats recently suffered a 41-0 defeat against Louisville, coming just a week after a 45-17 loss at Vanderbilt. Prior to the Vanderbilt matchup, Kentucky held a 5-5 record and needed only one more victory to secure a bowl game appearance.

Following the Louisville loss, Stoops stated in a press conference that there was zero chance he would step down voluntarily. Nevertheless, the decision appears to rest with the university. Stoops contract includes a significant buyout of nearly $40 million, following an extension signed in 2022 after a 10-3 season in 2021. However, the team has struggled to maintain that level of success, posting 7-6 records in both 2022 and 2023, and finishing 4-8 in 2024. That season ended an eight-year streak of bowl game appearances, the longest in school history.

After the 2023 season, Stoops was considered a top candidate for the Texas A&M head coaching job. He later revealed that Texas A&M had aggressively pursued him before hiring Mike Elko. Texas A&M went on to an 11-1 record in 2025 and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Mark Stoops concludes his tenure at Kentucky with an 82-80 record. He inherited a program that had endured three straight losing seasons under Joker Phillips and returned the Wildcats to postseason play in 2016. Under Stoops, Kentucky achieved two of its four 10-win seasons, in 2018 and 2021, each culminating in a Citrus Bowl victory.

Following the recent dismissal of Mike Gundy, only Iowas Kirk Ferentz, Utahs Kyle Whittingham, Air Forces Troy Calhoun, and Clemsons Dabo Swinney have longer active coaching tenures than Stoops. Kentuckys struggles have increased since the SEC abandoned its East-West divisional format, making them the sixth SEC program searching for a new head coach in 2025. The other programs include Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Auburn, and Ole Miss.

Recent SEC coaching changes have seen Arkansas hire Ryan Silverfield from Memphis, Auburn bring in Alex Golesh from South Florida, Florida appoint Jon Sumrall, a former Wildcats linebacker from Tulane, and Ole Miss promote defensive coordinator Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU. Kentuckys timing places them behind other schools in planning their coaching future within the conference.

Author: Sophia Brooks