Kentucky firing Mark Stoops, winningest football coach in school history: Source

Kentucky is firing head coach Mark Stoops, a source close to Stoops told The Athletic Sunday, ending the tenure of the winningest football coach in school history one day after a second consecutive blowout loss to rival Louisville.

The decision to fire Stoops is a costly one. His contract calls for a $36 million buyout, all of which is due within 60 days unless the sides negotiate a different separation, a result of extensions from Stoops’ winning years.

Stoops finished 72-80 in 13 seasons. That included a run of eight consecutive bowl games from 2016 to 2023, with two 10-win seasons in there (one of them, the 2021 season, was later vacated due to NCAA violations). He won four of his last five matchups with Florida after the Gators had lost just twice to the Wildcats in the previous 40 years.

But the program fell back to historical precedent in the last two years, going 9-15 overall and 3-13 in SEC play. Longtime right-hand man and ace recruiter Vince Marrow left for Louisville last offseason in a gut punch to the program.

The Wildcats rallied late this season behind redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley but lost to Vanderbilt and Louisville by a combined score of 86-17 in the final two games.

In Stoops’ last two games against Louisville, the Wildcats were outscored 82-14. Following Saturday’s loss, Stoops said there was a zero percent chance he would step down.

“I’m going to be here, as far as I’m concerned,” Stoops said. “Now I can’t control what decision (is going) to be made. If you’re asking me, I said zero. Zero means zero.”