Not a good spot to be in.
After a tumultuous season in Lexington, one that saw the first losing season for the football program since 2015 — nine whole seasons and eight straight bowl games — the Kentucky Wildcats and Coach Mark Stoops posted a 4-8 record that was capped off with a Governor’s Cup drubbing at the hands of Louisville.
Because of that, and previous seasons that some fans claim have seen a slight decline since the 2021 season, a portion of the fanbase expressed their concern and felt a change in leadership was needed to help get football back on track in Lexington.
On3, however, has tabbed the Wildcats head football coach as ‘too expensive to fire’ heading into the 2025 season in their list of coaches on the hot seat.
Stoops, who has been remarkably successful for most of his tenure at Kentucky, began drawing sharp criticism during a 4-8 season, and the fear is that the Wildcats can’t pull out of the dive under Stoops. But Kentucky fans had better hope they do, because firing Stoops would be a massive undertaking. It’s not only the amount — about $37.5 million if done after the 2025 season — but the timing. Way back in the third (of seven) amendments to Stoops’ contract, Kentucky agreed to pay that amount within 60 days of the notice to terminate. When the Wildcats were considering buying out basketball coach John Calipari — before Calipari did the school a favor and took the Arkansas job — that $34 million would have been paid in equal installments through June 2029. To fire Stoops, more than that sum would have to be paid out within two months. No one is doing that.
Based on the funds and the math surrounding them, Mark Stoops will be the head coach of Kentucky unless he no longer wants to.