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Can Kentucky football actually afford to KEEP Mark Stoops?

Related Topics: Mitch Barnhart, Mark Stoops

The cost is high, but is keeping him going to come at a higher cost?

Kentucky Wildcats head football coach Mark Stoops on the sidelines during the game against Eastern Michigan at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That is the 40+ million dollar question: can Kentucky football afford to keep Mark Stoops? The buyout is prohibitive, it is due within 60 days of his firing. But as the dust settles on another humiliating SEC loss, the calls from the Kentucky fanbase have reached a fever pitch: it’s time for a change.