Mark Stoops states there is 'zero chance' he is stepping down as Kentucky head coach

Kentucky‘s disastrous recent stretch of play against SEC competition continued Saturday afternoon with a 35-14 loss on the road at No. 12 Georgia. The ‘Cats are now 1-10 in their last 11 SEC games and have been outscored 312-163 in that span.

Earlier this week, Lexington radio personality Alan Cutler reported that Stoops told Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart that he wanted out following last season’s loss to Tennessee. Stoops was asked about this report following the loss on Saturday.

Mark Stoops asked in postgame press conference about reports yesterday

“There is zero chance I am walking away. You know what I mean? Zero.”

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) October 4, 2025

“I hate to give anything like that legs,” Stoops said postgame. “There’s zero. I told you last year, you know what I mean? You guys could write and say what you want about me but there’s zero chance I’m walking away. Zero. There’s no quit in me. That’s unequivocally 100% false and anyone who says anything else is lying.”

Stoops, who is the longest-tenured head coach in the SEC and is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the country, has been the head of the program since 2013. In that span, he’s led the ‘Cats to a 69-76 (28-65) record with eight consecutive bowl appearances from 2016-2023 (4-4 record). Things have gotten rotten for the program lately however, as they are just 20-23 (7-20) overall since Kentucky‘s 10-3 season in 2021.

“Mark Stoops went to Mitch Barnhart after the Tennessee game and said he wanted out, and he would negotiate the buyout,” Cutler said. “He said he was willing to negotiate his buyout and it never happened.”

Kentucky would owe Stoops 75% of remaining salary if change is made

If Kentucky decided to part ways with its long-tenured head coach, it would owe him 75% of the salary remaining through the end of his contract. His buyout currently sits at $38 million, which makes things extremely complicated. He is one of the highest paid coaches in all of college football.

Georgia jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on Saturday and never looked back. Kentucky made it a 14-7 game on a Cutter Boley 29-yard passing touchdown to Josh Kattus early in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs rattled off 21 unanswered to take a 35-7 lead near the end of the third quarter. The ‘Cats mustered a touchdown with 1:51 remaining in the game to make the score look a little better, but the sentiment remained the same.

Kentucky has been highly uncompetitive in conference play over the past two seasons and fan frustration is boiling over. However, it does not appear that change is coming (at least soon) at the top.