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The Kentucky Wildcats fired head football coach Mark Stoops on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
The Wildcats finished the regular season with a 41-0 loss to the Louisville Cardinals. Stoops said after the game that he had no plans to step down as head coach.
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Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops walks on the field before an NCAA college football game against Vanderbilt, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
“Like, am I going to walk away? Are you kidding me? …Zero percent chance of me walking,” he said via ESPN.
“I’m going to be here as far as I’m concerned. Now I can’t control what decision (is) going to be made. If you ask me, I said zero. Zero means zero.”
This is the second straight time Kentucky has missed a bowl game. The Wildcats were 4-8 in 2024 and finished 5-7 in 2025. They lost a big game to Vanderbilt before the Louisville loss.
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Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea and Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops meet on the field after an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Stoops took over as Kentucky’s head coach before the 2013 season. The team was 2–10 in his first season, but gradually improved during his tenure. The Wildcats won 10 games in 2018 – the first time since 1977.
He was 72-80 and will leave Kentucky as the winningest coach in program history.
Stoops must also get a $36 million buyout within 60 days of his firing, according to The Athletic.
It’s unclear who Kentucky will hire next, but the Wildcats will become the latest SEC program to make a move. LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas and Florida each made head coaching decisions Saturday.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops shook hands with senior players and their families during Senior Day ceremonies before the Kentucky Wildcats took on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on November 15, 2025. (Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Lane Kiffin decided to accept the LSU job, while Ole Miss named Pete Golding his replacement. Auburn hired Alex Golesh, Arkansas got Ryan Silverfield and Florida hired Jon Sumrall.
