Mark Stoops Out At Kentucky

After 13 years in Lexington, the winningest football coach in Kentucky football history is out. Late Sunday night, published reports said Mark Stoops would be relieved of his duties as the Wildcat head man. On Monday, the school made it official.

Stoops got off to a slow start as a head man. However, he quickly got things rolling in the right direction, taking the program to heights never seen before. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, things started going downhill. It all ended with what many thought would be the expected conclusion, as Mark Stoops is out at Kentucky.

Stoops was named Kentucky head coach on November 27, 2012. He replaced Joker Phillips, who was let go after three seasons. He came to Kentucky from Florida State, where he was defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. The UK job was his first head coaching experience. The cupboards weren’t exactly stocked when he got here, and he had some struggles. He went 2-10 during his first year but improved to 5-7 in 2014 and 2015.

Kentucky started out 2016 0-2 and sat 3-3 halfway through the season. Rumors swirled that Mitch Barnhart was about to pull the plug when the Cats turned things around. Starting with a 40-38 win over Mississippi State, Kentucky went 4-2 down the stretch, finishing 7-5 and earning its first bowl bid under Stoops.

An upset of Louisville and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson as a four-touchdown underdog highlighted the run. While they lost to Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl, they showed enough progress to keep him around. From there, things only got better for the Wildcats, as they played in eight consecutive bowl games. In addition, they won four straight games, setting both school records.

Led by stars Benny Snell and Josh Allen, Kentucky ended the 2018 season by knocking off Penn State in the Citrus Bowl. It marked only the third ten-win season in school history and the first New Year’s Day win since 1952. After winning the Belk and Gator bowls, UK knocked off Iowa in the Citrus Bowl for their second 10-win season and New Year’s Day win in four years.

In addition, Stoops became known as a “Streak Breaker.” The win against Louisville started a run of six wins in seven years against the Cards. He also famously ended the 31-gamelosing streak to Florida. The Cats have won four of the last six against the Gators.

Unfortunately, things started to go downhill after 2021, which is why we’re where we are today. Let’s look at the downfall as Mark Stoops is out at Kentucky.

The Wildcats started out 2022 4-0, and many may not remember, but Stoops was one of the hottest names in coaching. In fact, following a win at Florida, he passed Bear Bryant and the school’s winningest coach with 60. As a result, Barnhart offered the UK head man an extension through the 2030 season. The deal paid him nine million a year, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in football.

From that point, things started unraveling. The day after he signed the new deal, Kentucky lost at home to Vanderbilt, who ended a 26-game SEC losing streak. In fact, there was never a public announcement of the contract extension. Instead, the new deal was posted only on the University’s Office of Legal Counsel website.

Stoops made bowl games in 2022 and 2023, losing in the Music City Bowl to Iowa and the Gator Bowl to Clemson. However, the shine was taken off the 2021 season when the NCAA ordered the school to vacate its 10 wins for using ineligible players.

The last couple of years of the Mark Stoops era will be remembered as much for his comments as for the lack of winning on the field. First, there was the dust-up with then basketball coach John Calipari over whether UK was a football or basketball school. The two reportedly put that behind them, and Cal left for Arkansas after 2023. However, during new coach Mark Pope’s initial Big Blue Madness, Stoops joked that this was the first time he’d been invited. Unfortunately, the football team lost the next day to Vanderbilt.

After beating Louisville at the end of the 2023 season, Stoops nearly took the Texas A&M job. Depending on which side you are on, he either accepted the offer and then changed his mind, or the offer was rescinded after Aggie Nation revolted. The Cats hit the transfer portal hard; however, many of those players didn’t pan out as the Cats finished 4-8. After some talk, Barnhart brought Stoops back for year 13. During the summer, former right-hand man Vince Marrow shockingly left for Louisville. There were also numerous complaints about NIL and how difficult it made his job. That included the his “Pony Up” comment about needing fans to pump more money into it.

Following a 2-5 start, the Cats won three straight, getting themselves in the mix for a bowl. That didn’t pan out, as they lost their last two by a combined score of 86-17. His last game was a 41-0 blowout at the hands  of Louisville. While they did improve by one game, it became obvious that a change was needed. The major sticking point was the 38 million buyout, which stated he’d get all his money within 60 days. Reports say he and the school negotiated a settlement for his buyout, spreading it out over several years.

Stoops leaves Kentucky with an 82-80 record and the most home and SEC wins ever with 51 and 33, respectively. As we mentioned earlier, he took the program to heights never seen before. At the end of the day, it was time for a change, and that’s what happened as Mark Stoops is out at Kentucky after 13 years. Now we turn to the future of the program. In our next installment, we’ll look at possible replacements.

Main Photo: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images