If Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has his way, he won't be going anywhere.
Stoops's future in Lexington was a talking point after his Wildcats hit their rock bottom for the 2025 season: a 41-0 loss to hated rival Louisville in the season's final game Saturday, capping off a second straight losing season for Kentucky under Stoops.
During his postgame press conference, Stoops, who has been adamant about his desire to remain coach of the Wildcats, was asked if the ugly season-ending loss changes his mind at all.
“Come on. Yeah I don't mean to be disrespectful to you,” Stoops said. “Like, I'm going to walk away? Are you kidding me? No. I mean zero means zero. Zero percent chance I [would walk away]. I'm going to be here as far as I'm concerned. Now I can't control what decisions are made. If you're asking me—I mean—Zero means zero. Zero percent chance I walk away.”
What does Stoops's contract look like?
Stoops, who first began coaching the Wildcats in 2013, in 2022 signed an extension that will keep him under contract through 2031, earning roughly $9 million annually, according to multiple reports.
“I’ve got a pretty good contract, it would be pretty easy for me to give in,” Stoops told The Athletic last week. “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.”
What would Stoops's buyout be if he was fired by Kentucky?
Should the Wildcats opt to fire Stoops, they would owe the coach 75% of his remaining salary, roughly $37.7 million. According to USA Today, that would represent the fifth-largest buyout among SEC coaches.
Back in October, a report emerged that Stoops had approached the university's administration about his buyout following a 2024 loss to Tennessee. Stoops vehemently denied that any such conversations occurred.
“I hate to give anything like that legs," Stoops said. “There's zero—I told you last year, right? You know what I mean? You guys could write and say what you want about me but I told you there's zero chance I'm walking away. Zero. There's no quit in me. So that's unequivocally 100% false and anybody who says otherwise is lying.”
Stoops owns a 72-80 record in 13 seasons in Lexington. He's won four bowl games, posted two 10-win seasons and is the winningest—and longest-tenured—coach in program history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mark Stoops Leaves 'Zero' Doubt About Future After Kentucky's Ugly Loss to Louisville.
