Evening update> ESPN shares this evening Kentucky has made the decision to part ways with Mark Stoops. Sources now confirm the same to FootballScoop. Will become official tomorrow.
Mark Stoops's return for a 14th season at Kentucky is not certain, according to a report Sunday from Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio.
Stoops's future was assumed to be certain following a mid-season 3-game winning streak that took the Wildcats from 2-5 to 5-5. But then Kentucky lost 45-17 at Vanderbilt last Saturday and, facing a win-or-stay home game against arch rival Louisville, Kentucky face-planted its way to a 41-0 loss.
"The decision of him coming back was basically assumed two weeks ago. But then the last two games happened and now people are scrambling to asses the state of things," Jones wrote.
The winningest coach in Kentucky history, Stoops is 62-80 and 25-68 in SEC play at the historically down-trodden program. Within that mark, though, Stoops went 10-3 with a Citrus Bowl win and a No. 12 AP final ranking in 2018, and a (since vacated) 10-3 mark with another Citrus Bowl win and a No. 18 finish in 2021. Beyond the peaks, Stoops brought consistency to the bluegrass, as Kentucky reached a bowl game in eight straight seasons from 2016-23.
However, Kentucky stumbled to 4-8 last season, and now has fell short of a bowl game again in 2025.
Complicating the matter of a possible Stoops firing is his contract. Stoops would be owed a $37 million buyout, with the bulk due within 60 days of a possible firing.
There is also no possibility of Kentucky coaxing Stoops into a retirement or resignation. Asked Saturday if this season would push him into retirement, Stoops said "Like, I'm going to walk away? Are you kidding me? ... Zero percent chance I walk."
"I'm going to be here as far as I'm concerned," he continued. "Now I can't control what decision [is going] to be made. If you're asking me, I said zero. Zero means zero."
Stoops is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC and fifth-longest in FBS, trailing only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Utah's Kyle Whittingham, Air Force's Troy Calhoun, and Clemson's Dabo Swinney.
“Listen, if I was like that, I’ve got a pretty good contract, it would be pretty easy for me to give in. But there’s zero of that in me. None. That’s not in me. I’ll never submit, I’ll never cave, I’ll never flinch. And I want my teams to reflect that," Stoops told The Athletic last week.