Kentucky Football Coach Mark Stoops Gets Contract Extension, Raise

The Wildcats quietly gave the 55-year-old a new deal, one day before an ugly loss to Vanderbilt.

Kentucky has quietly rewarded football coach Mark Stoops with a contract extension through the 2030 season, according to the school’s open records.

The new deal, which runs through June 2031, will increase Stoops’s annual salary by over $2 million annually, as he’s now set to make $8.6 million per season beginning in February 2023. He currently earns $6.35 per year under the contract extension he agreed to last November.

The extension also will raise Stoops’s buyout from $1.75 million to $4.5 million. The buyout amount will decrease by $500,000 for every year that the 55-year-old remains at Kentucky for the duration of his contract.

Interestingly, news of Stoops’s extension was not made public to the media, but records show that it was signed on Nov. 11, one day before Kentucky played Vanderbilt. The Wildcats then lost that game to the Commodores, 24–21, giving Vanderbilt its first SEC win in over three years. Kentucky lost to No. 1 Georgia, 16–6, on Saturday.

“We have been working on this for over a month and are glad to have it finalized,” Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart said in a press release that is dated Nov. 18 but wasn’t sent to media. “Continuity has become more and more important in today’s landscape, and make no mistake about it, the job that Coach Stoops has done is well known and highly regarded throughout the college football world.

“This extension also recognizes what Coach Stoops has done over the past decade, with unprecedented achievements in the history of Kentucky football, and reinforces his commitment to UK as we strive for continued success in the future.”

Though the loss to the Commodores certainly wasn’t pretty, Stoops has impressed in 10 seasons at Kentucky, passing Bear Bryant to become the winningest coach in program history with a Week 2 win at Florida. The Wildcats (6–5) are bowl-bound again in 2022, one year after going 10–3 and winning the Citrus Bowl.

“I’m very appreciative of Dr. Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for the relationship we have and the consistent commitment they have shown to the program,” Stoops said in the release. “The continuity we’ve had has been crucial to our growth and is even more important as we move forward with the changes in college football.

“As Mitch said, we’ve been working on this for awhile, as I wanted to reaffirm my commitment. I’ve loved it here and am excited about our future.”