Jeff Piecoro and Doug High on Coach Stoops’ record and buy out
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — The University of Kentucky has fired head football coach Mark Stoops after 13 seasons, officials confirmed Monday, marking the end of the tenure of the program’s all-time winningest coach.
UK President Eli Capilouto said in a statement that the annual review conducted by Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart resulted in the decision to make a change.
“After a review that he conducts every year, Mitch is making a change in the head coaching position of our football team,” Capilouto said. “I support his decision and will work with him to make a hire that will achieve the levels of success the Big Blue Nation expects. I want to thank Coach Stoops for his 13 years of service and leadership… He helped lead the revival of this program and achieved historic results.”
Barnhart also released a statement, saying he had informed Stoops that the university would “go in a new direction.”
“I want to thank Mark for his dedication and leadership over the past 13 years,” Barnhart said. “His tenure transformed the program and reset expectations… We move forward committed to build upon the strong foundation that has been laid and to pursue excellence relentlessly.”
Barnhart said the university has begun a national search for Stoops’ replacement and will invest fully in recruiting “an elite head coach, players and support staff,” including through NIL opportunities and facility improvements.
Stoops, hired in November 2012 to replace Joker Phillips, leaves Lexington as the winningest coach in program history. His tenure included seven straight bowl appearances from 2016–2023 and a four-game bowl win streak featuring victories over Penn State, Virginia Tech, NC State and Iowa. The 2021 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa was later vacated, along with the season’s other victories.
Stoops also led Kentucky to several long-awaited milestone wins: the program’s first road victory over Florida since 1986, its first home win over the Gators since that same year, and a 2020 victory at Tennessee — the Wildcats’ first in Knoxville since 1984. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2018.
Kentucky ended the 2025 season with a 41-0 loss to Louisville, finishing 5-7. Stoops’ official record stands at 72-80, not including the 10 vacated wins from 2021.
The firing follows a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who posted Sunday that Kentucky was expected to move on from Stoops amid a flurry of coaching changes across the SEC. According to Thamel, more than one-third of the conference’s 16 teams made coaching moves on the same day.
Stoops’ buyout is due within 60 days and is estimated at $37.68 million.
