Mark Stoops Leaves 'zero' Doubt About Future After Kentucky's Ugly Loss To Louisville

5 jam yang lalu

If Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has his way, he won't beryllium going anywhere.

Stoops's early successful Lexington was a talking constituent aft his Wildcats deed their stone bottommost for nan 2025 season: a 41-0 nonaccomplishment to hated rival Louisville successful nan season's last crippled Saturday, capping disconnected a 2nd consecutive losing play for Kentucky nether Stoops.

During his postgame property conference, Stoops, who has been adamant astir his desire to stay coach of nan Wildcats, was asked if nan disfigured season-ending nonaccomplishment changes his mind astatine all.

“Come on. Yeah I don't mean to beryllium disrespectful to you,” Stoops said. “Like, I'm going to locomotion away? Are you kidding me? No. I mean zero intends zero. Zero percent chance I [would locomotion away]. I'm going to beryllium present arsenic acold arsenic I'm concerned. Now I can't power what decisions are made. If you're asking me—I mean—Zero intends zero. Zero percent chance I locomotion away.”

Stoops, who first began coaching nan Wildcats successful 2013, successful 2022 signed an hold that will support him nether statement done 2031, earning astir $9 cardinal annually, according to aggregate reports.

“I’ve sewage a beautiful bully contract, it would beryllium beautiful easy for maine to springiness in,” Stoops told The Athletic past week. “But there’s zero of that successful me. None. That’s not successful me. I’ll ne'er submit, I’ll ne'er cave, I’ll ne'er flinch. And I want my teams to bespeak that.”

What would Stoops's buyout beryllium if he was fired by Kentucky?

Should nan Wildcats opt to occurrence Stoops, they would beryllium nan coach 75% of his remaining salary, astir $37.7 million. According to USA Today, that would correspond nan fifth-largest buyout among SEC coaches.

Back successful October, a study emerged that Stoops had approached nan university's management astir his buyout pursuing a 2024 nonaccomplishment to Tennessee. Stoops vehemently denied that immoderate specified conversations occurred.

“I dislike to springiness thing for illustration that legs," Stoops said. “There's zero—I told you past year, right? You cognize what I mean? You guys could constitute and opportunity what you want astir maine but I told you there's zero chance I'm stepping away. Zero. There's nary discontinue successful me. So that's unequivocally 100% mendacious and anybody who says different is lying.”

Stoops owns a 72-80 grounds successful 13 seasons successful Lexington. He's won 4 vessel games, posted 2 10-win seasons and is nan winningest—and longest-tenured—coach successful programme history.