In today’s ever-evolving college football landscape, the financial side of coaching is as critical as the X’s and O’s. Schools across the country are making adjustments to how they compensate their head coaches, particularly after disappointing seasons. However, while Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy both agreed to contract restructuring after their teams failed to meet expectations, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops remains firmly in place without any alterations to his $9 million annual salary.
Despite Kentucky’s struggles last fall, Stoops never wavered in his hefty contract that comes with the job. When speculation arose about whether he might consider stepping away, Stoops dismissed the notion outright. Barnhart for his part doesn’t see much wrong either stating, “We’re disappointed we broke that bowl streak, and we want to get back to that and sustain success and improvement and all of those things. But it gave us an opportunity to really concentrate, dive in and reboot this roster.”
Stoops’ frustration wasn’t limited to on-field performance. Last spring, he voiced concerns about the pressures of fundraising in the ever-expanding world of NIL, admitting that it left him feeling “very isolated, very alone.” At the time, he even acknowledged uncertainty about how much longer he could handle the demands of the job. “I’ll be honest: I don’t know how long I can take dealing with what I’ve dealt with,” he told The Cats’ Pause.
That level of candor, coupled with his near departure to Texas A&M last year—before a fan revolt in College Station helped torpedo the move—left BBN questioning whether Stoops believes Kentucky has already reached its ceiling. Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, however, sees things differently. “We had great conversations,” Barnhart said. “They were candid. And there were some times it wasn’t easy.”
For Stoops, the focus now is on ensuring that Kentucky has the financial resources to remain competitive in the transfer portal and NIL era. “Even last week, he pointed to better resources as being key to producing what he thinks will be a better transfer class than a year ago,” Barnhart noted.
Yet Barnhart also pushed back against the notion that more money guarantees better results. “Yeah, resources help, but you’re also changing the way you teach,” he said. “And so where Mark had spent a lot of time, I think teaching and growing young guys, all of the sudden, we didn’t need teaching growth. We needed growth (now), and we weren’t there. And so I think that they’ve made the adjustment to how and whom they’re coaching.”
One looming financial shift is the NCAA’s House settlement, which—if approved in April—will allow schools to distribute $20.5 million in revenue directly to athletes starting in July. Football players are expected to receive the bulk of those funds, adding another layer of complexity to athletic department budgets.
In response to similar challenges, both Norvell and Gundy agreed to give part of their salaries back to their respective schools for fundraising efforts. Given Stoops’ vocal push for more NIL support, some Kentucky fans have wondered whether he would consider a similar move. But Barnhart made it clear that no such discussions are taking place.
“As an institution, we’re just approaching it a little differently,” Barnhart said. “Doesn’t mean Mark’s not committed to doing things to help our program. He’s fully committed to that. And I think coaches do that in a variety of ways. And some of them want to be very public about the way they do their work, and some of them want to just do it other ways and support. And Mark’s been supportive.”
For now, Stoops remains the highest-paid coach in Kentucky football history with no plans to adjust his contract.