‘Zero percent chance I walk,’ says Kentucky’s Mark Stoops

Despite a second straight losing season that ended with Saturday’s 41-0 loss to in-state rival Louisville, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said he’s not going anywhere.

Asked after the game about the possibility of stepping down, Stoops told reporters, “Like, I’m going to walk away? Are you kidding me? … Zero percent chance I walk.”

Stoops completed his 13th season at Kentucky with a 5-7 record after going 4-8 in 2024.

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Stoops, 58, is 72-80 overall at Kentucky with 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021. He is earning $9 million this year and is signed through June 2031. If fired, Stoops would be owed 75% of his remaining salary, which equates to approximately $37.7 million.

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

Stoops took a similar position earlier in the season when asked about a report that he met with Kentucky administrators to discuss his buyout. He called the report “unequivocally 100 percent false,” adding that, “There’s no quit in me.”