The College of Kentucky has lengthy been a basketball college. The Wildcats have essentially the most all-time victories and finest profitable share in males’s school basketball and have gained eight NCAA Tournaments. In the meantime, the soccer program hasn’t seen related ranges of sustained success. Kentucky did win a soccer nationwide title in 1950, however that was 75 years in the past. The varsity’s all-time report is hovering proper round .500, and it is solely been ranked on the finish of the season twice previously 40 years. The coach of each of these ranked finishes? Mark Stoops, who’s led the Wildcats since 2013.
This season, Kentucky has gotten off to a rocky begin. The staff is sitting at 2-3 and simply misplaced 35-14 to Georgia. Kentucky continues to be searching for its first SEC win this yr after ending 1-7 in final season’s league play. Halfway by means of his thirteenth season, Stoops is 79-76 general and a brutal 28-65 towards SEC competitors.
After a Lexington radio station reported that Stoops has talked with the college about negotiating a buyout, the coach shortly shot down these rumors. He mentioned, “There’s zero likelihood I am strolling away.” It won’t be a nasty determination, although—a buyout would show to be extremely profitable.
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Stoops signed a brand new contract in 2022 that runs by means of the 2031 season. He is one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, making $8.6 million in annual wage plus incentives. As his deal is presently structured, he would get a buyout price 75% of the cash remaining on his deal.
Assuming Stoops’s wage is paid evenly all year long, he is nonetheless owed slightly over $5 million this season. Mixed with the remainder of his contract, he is on observe to earn $56.6 million by means of the 2031 season, plus any potential incentives for efficiency bonuses.
As an instance Kentucky parted methods with Stoops this week. Taking 75% of his remaining wage places the worth of a buyout at $42.4625 million. That is a reasonably good monetary windfall to go away.
The Wildcats have completed 10-3 and ended the season ranked twice beneath Stoops, in 2018 after which once more in 2021. Final yr, Kentucky vacated the wins from the 2021 season as a penalty for providing impermissible advantages to 11 gamers.
Other than the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, which was stuffed with funky schedules, accidents, and participant opt-outs, the Wildcats had profitable seasons every year from 2016 by means of 2023. However final season was a bumpy one because the Wildcats stumbled to a 4-8 end. With this yr trying equally powerful, the rumbles about Stoops will doubtless solely develop louder.
Stoops is adamant he will not stroll away. Nonetheless, the college could find yourself making that call for him.
