Kentucky football parts with coach Mark Stoops after 13 seasons at school
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Kentucky football parts with coach Mark Stoops after 13 seasons at school
Erick Smith, USA TODAY·USA TODAY Sports
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2 min read
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Thecollege footballcoaching carousel keeps spinning in the SEC with the latest victim beingKentuckycoach Mark Stoops.
The school is parting way with Stoops after 13 seasons with the school, according to multiple reports on Sunday, Nov. 30. The move comes one day after the Wildcats finished their season at 5-7 with a41-0loss to rivalLouisville.
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Stoops, the school's all-time winningest coach with 72 official victories, brought unprecedented success to theKentuckyprogram with eight consecutive bowl appearances from 2016-23. Ten of his victories in 2021 were vacateddue to NCAA rules violations. The Wildcats have gone 9-15 the past two seasons and did not qualify for a bowl game.
According to terms of his contract, Stoops is owed a buyout of just under $38 million.
Stoops started at the bottom at Kentucky, inheriting what was then the SEC's most woeful program. Then won just two games in 2012 under Joker Phillips. Stoops posted losing records his first three seasons with just 12 total victories before the Wildcats returned to the postseason in 2016 in a 7-6 season that culminated in an appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2 following a home loss to Kentucky. Freeze was 15-19 in two-plus seasons on the Plains.
(John Reed, John Reed-Imagn Images)
LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M the night before.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
Florida fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19 during his fourth season as Gators coach. UF was 22-23 during Napier's tenure.
(Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after a third straight loss. The Nittany Lions were 104-45 in 11-plus seasons under Franklin.
(Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
UAB fired Trent Dilfer on Oct. 12 after a 2-4 start to the 2025 season. Dilfer was in his third season as head coach of the Blazers.
(Randy Sartin, Imagn Images)
Sam Pittman was fired by Arkansas on Sept. 25, a day after the Razorbacks were blown out by Notre Dame, 56-13. Pittman was 32-34 in his five-plus seasons as Hogs coach.
(Nelson Chenault, Imagn Images)
Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after the Hokies started the season 0-3. Virginia Tech was 16-24 overall in Pry's three-plus seasons.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
UCLA fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after the Bruins fell to 0-3 following a home loss to New Mexico. The Bruins were 5-10 in Foster's one-plus season in charge.
(Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
Mike Gundy was in his 21st season as Oklahoma State coach when he was fired on Sept. 23. Gundy was 170-90 as Cowboys coach, but started 1-2 this season after going 3-9 in 2024.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
Oregon State fired Trent Bray on Oct. 12 after the Beavers started the season 0-7. The Beavers were 5-14 in Bray's season-plus in Corvallis.
(Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
Colorado State fired football coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19. Norvell was 18-26 in his four seasons in Fort Collins.
(Logan Newell/The Coloradoan)
Stanford coach Troy Taylor was fired prior to the 2025 season following allegations of mistreating staff. He was 6-18 in two seasons with the Cardinal and was replaced by interim coach Frank Reich.
(Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)
Kent State coach fired coach Kenni Burns on April 15 after he posted a 1-23 record of and was placed on administrative leave by the school in March. Mark Carney is serving as interim coach.
(Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images)
1/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
1/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Cal fired Justin Wilcox on Nov. 23 with one game left in the regular season. The Golden Bears are 6-5 this season but 48-55 in Wilcox's seven seasons in charge.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
2/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Auburn fired coach Hugh Freeze on Nov. 2 following a home loss to Kentucky. Freeze was 15-19 in two-plus seasons on the Plains.
(John Reed, John Reed-Imagn Images)
3/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26 after an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M the night before.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
4/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Florida fired Billy Napier on Oct. 19 during his fourth season as Gators coach. UF was 22-23 during Napier's tenure.
(Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
5/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after a third straight loss. The Nittany Lions were 104-45 in 11-plus seasons under Franklin.
(Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
6/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
UAB fired Trent Dilfer on Oct. 12 after a 2-4 start to the 2025 season. Dilfer was in his third season as head coach of the Blazers.
(Randy Sartin, Imagn Images)
7/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Sam Pittman was fired by Arkansas on Sept. 25, a day after the Razorbacks were blown out by Notre Dame, 56-13. Pittman was 32-34 in his five-plus seasons as Hogs coach.
(Nelson Chenault, Imagn Images)
8/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Virginia Tech fired Brent Pry on Sept. 14 after the Hokies started the season 0-3. Virginia Tech was 16-24 overall in Pry's three-plus seasons.
(Brian Bishop-Imagn Images)
9/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
UCLA fired DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after the Bruins fell to 0-3 following a home loss to New Mexico. The Bruins were 5-10 in Foster's one-plus season in charge.
(Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
10/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Mike Gundy was in his 21st season as Oklahoma State coach when he was fired on Sept. 23. Gundy was 170-90 as Cowboys coach, but started 1-2 this season after going 3-9 in 2024.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
11/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Oregon State fired Trent Bray on Oct. 12 after the Beavers started the season 0-7. The Beavers were 5-14 in Bray's season-plus in Corvallis.
(Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
12/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Colorado State fired football coach Jay Norvell on Oct. 19. Norvell was 18-26 in his four seasons in Fort Collins.
(Logan Newell/The Coloradoan)
13/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Stanford coach Troy Taylor was fired prior to the 2025 season following allegations of mistreating staff. He was 6-18 in two seasons with the Cardinal and was replaced by interim coach Frank Reich.
(Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)
14/14
College football coaches fired already in 2025 season. See who's on the growing list
Kent State coach fired coach Kenni Burns on April 15 after he posted a 1-23 record of and was placed on administrative leave by the school in March. Mark Carney is serving as interim coach.
(Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images)
During the run of eight bowl games in a row, Stoops had 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021 to account for two of the four double-digit victory campaigns in school history. An NCAA investigation into impermissible benefits erased one of those seasons.
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Troubles at the quarterback position and good defense was the theme for latter seasons of Stoops' tenure. The Wildcats ranked worse than 100th in scoring offense in three of the last four campaigns but their ability to be stingy on defense allowed them to win seven games in 2022 and 2023 before slumping in 2024 and 2025.
Kentucky showed promise in the second half of this season with freshman quarterbackCutter Boleytaking over the starting job. The Wildcats played competitively againstTexasand beat Auburn andFloridato move within touching distance of a bowl game. But blowout losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville ended those hopes.
Following the defeat to the Cardinals on Saturday, Nov. 29, Stoops told the media there's "Zero percent chance I walk" when asked about the possibility of stepping down. He was out of a job one day later, putting Kentucky in position of finding a replacement for the SEC's longest-tenure coach after a whirlwind of hires in the league at Florida,LSU, Auburn andArkansas.
