Is Mark Stoops on the Hot Seat?

Despite Kentucky’s continual woes, head coach Mark Stoops’ has outlived four SEC coaches this season. 

This is his 13th year with the program with an 80-78 record. He made eight straight bowl games from 2016 to 2023 going 4-4.

Stoops has gone a combined 7-13 throughout the past two seasons but remains the longest-tenured coach in the SEC. He has accumulated three 10+ win seasons. Georgia’s Kirby Smart is the only current SEC coach with more. 

Kentucky is 7-20 against the SEC since 2022 and 4-19 in their last 23 against Power Four opponents.

Stoops’ buyout is what leads many fans to believe he won’t go anywhere. If the Wildcats were to fire him after this season, it would be approximately $37.7 million to $38 million. Even worse, the program would be required to give him the full payment within 60 days. 

A quarter of the SEC’s  coaches have already been fired this season: Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, LSU’s Brian Kelly, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Florida’s Billy Napier.

Freeze went 15-19 in two plus seasons with Auburn, losing his only bowl game. Kelly went 34-14 in four seasons with LSU, including two 10-win seasons. Pittman went 32-34 in three seasons, going 3-0 in bowl games.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin fired Napier on Oct. 19. He went 22-23 in three plus seasons with UF, which is the worst coach they had since Tom Lieb going 20-26-1 from 1940 to 1945.

The Gators face Stoops for the 13th time and have an 8-4 record against him. UF beat Kentucky for 31 straight years until 2018 when Stoops coached them to a 27-16 win. 

The Gators (3-5) travel to Kroger Field on Saturday to take on the Wildcats (3-5).

You can catch coverage on WRUF starting at 4:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 7:30.

Category: Gators Football, SEC