Mark Stoops Breaks Silence on Buyout Rumors Amid Shocking Defeat to Georgia—What’s Really Next for Kentucky Football?

Can a coach’s grit outlast a storm of rumors and a rough patch on the scoreboard? Kentucky’s Mark Stoops sure seems to think so. With his Wildcats stumbling to a 2-3 start and a tough 0-3 record in the SEC — including a particularly painful loss to Georgia — whispers about a possible buyout have been swirling. But Stoops? He’s shut that down flat, insisting there’s “no quit” in him and calling the chatter outright false. Having steered Kentucky through historic highs and gut-wrenching lows over the past 13 seasons, Stoops is no stranger to pressure — and the stakes are sky-high, especially considering the hefty price tag tied to his departure. With a brutal schedule ahead and a fanbase hungry for a turnaround, the question lingers: Is Stoops the steady hand Kentucky needs, or is the clock ticking louder than ever? LEARN MORE.

Mark Stoops didn’t want to give any oxygen to the idea of accepting a buyout after his Kentucky football team dropped to 2-3 on the season and 0-3 in the SEC with a decisive loss to Georgia.

In his 13th season as head coach, Stoops denied any report that he spoke with university officials last year about negotiating a buyout.

“I’d hate to give anything like that legs,” Stoops said [h/t ESPN]. “There’s zero chance I’m walking away. There’s no quit in me, so that’s unequivocally 100 percent false. Anyone who tells you that is lying.”

“I don’t want to address that crap no more,” he said.

The Wildcats, who Stoops has led to two 10-win seasons during his tenure (2018 and 2021), went 4-8 last year, including 1-7 in SEC play, and they’re off to a rough start to this season.

Kentucky’s only wins so far this season have been against Toledo and Eastern Michigan, both MAC teams, and the ‘Cats have been outscored 100-50 in their three SEC games.

The schedule doesn’t get that much easier either; after the upcoming bye week, Kentucky hosts Texas and Tennessee before visiting Auburn and then coming back home to play Florida. The season wraps up with Tennessee Tech and consecutive road games vs. Vanderbilt and rival Louisville.

Stoops was hired by Kentucky before the 2013 season, and after a 2-10 campaign to start his stint, he led the Wildcats to back-to-back 5-7 records in 2014 and 2015 before rattling off eight consecutive seasons with a bowl game appearance.

In 2018, Kentucky finished the season ranked 12th in the AP poll, which marked the first time the program had finished any year ranked since 1984. It was also the first time that Kentucky had won 10 games or finished that high in the polls since 1977, when it was on probation and ineligible for postseason play.

Kentucky similarly finished 2021 ranked 18th in the country after a 10-3 season, although the wins were vacated three years later for using ineligible players. Still, Stoops became the first UK coach in history to record multiple double-digit-win seasons.

If Stoops were to be fired, the university would owe him about $40 million.

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