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Mark Stoops has become the latest college football head coach to joining the coaching carousel after being fired on Monday.
The University of Kentucky has dismissed the the Southeastern Conference's longest-tenured coach following a 41-0 defeat to bitter rival Louisville in Saturday's final game of the season.
The loss rounded out a 5-7 record for the Wildcats this season, which marked back-to-back losing records after they finished 4-8 in 2024, and it appeared to be the final nail in the coffin for Stoops.
Athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirmed the decision in a statement shared on Monday morning.
Barnhart said that he informed Stoops they decided to go in a new direction and started a national search for his replacement.
'We will continue to make the necessary investments to recruit an elite head coach, players, and support staff,' Barnhart said.
The University of Kentucky has dismissed football head coach Mark Stoops (pictured)
The decision comes after the Wildcats failed to score a point against Louisville on Saturday
'That includes fully funding revenue-sharing and NIL opportunities, providing state-of-the-art facilities, and ensuring our student-athletes have every resource to thrive.'
Kentucky decided to bite the bullet, despite owing the 58-year-old an eye-watering $37.7million buyout.
The coach was signed through to June 2031 after signing an extension in November 2022. The deal made him the fifth-highest paid coach in the SEC and saw him earn $9m this year.
Stoops is still owned 75 percent of his salary, which equates to the staggering sum, according to ESPN.
The buyout falls within the top five buyouts in college football history, four of which have come this year: Brian Kelly's $54m; James Franklin's $49m; and Jonathan Smith's $33m.
Franklin's payout from Penn State was later reduced as a result of him taking the job at Virginia Tech.
Kentucky had faced paying Stoops the buyout within 60 days of his firing, though reportedly he has reportedly agreed to a change in the payment schedule.
The veteran coach had made clear that he couldn't leave on his own after the disastrous loss to Louisville at the weekend.
The loss rounded out a 5-7 season for the Wildcats, which marked back-to-back losing records
'Zero percent chance I walk away,' Stoops said Saturday, adding the decision was not his to make. 'I´m going to be here as far as I'm concerned.'
Stoops leaves Kentucky as the winningest coach in the school's history. He had been at the helm at Kentucky for 13 seasons, going 82-20 in that time.
He steered the team to bowl games every season from 2016 to 2023 and twice finished in the AP top 20.
Stoops had been tied with N.C. State coach Dave Doeren for the fifth longest-tenured coach at a Bowl Subdivision program. He trailed only Kirk Ferentz with 27 seasons at Iowa, Kyle Whittingham with 21 at Utah, Troy Calhoun with 19 at Air Force and Dabo Swinney with 18 at Clemson.
However, he enjoyed little success following the 2023 season, 4-8 in 2024 with a 1-7 record in the SEC for his worst mark since his debut season (2-10) at Kentucky.
He lost top recruiter Vince Marrow, who had been with him since 2013, to in-state rival Louisville in June.
Trying to turn around the Wildcats, Stoops turned heavily to the transfer portal for this season, bringing in 27 players. That didn't help as Kentucky started 3-5, losing its first five SEC games and couldn't score a point losing to Louisville.
