LEXINGTON - The Southeastern Conference's longest-tenured athletic director is not leaving Kentucky anytime soon.
UK awarded athletic director Mitch Barnhart a contract extension in early September that would keep him at the school through the 2025-26 school year. The contract extension was released by UK's Office of Legal Counsel.
Barnhart, SportsBusiness Journal's 2019 Athletic Director of the Year, is in the midst of his 20th season at Kentucky. He was hired as athletic director in 2002 after working 14 years as Oregon State's athletic director.
In recent year's Barnhart's national profile has grown.
He served as chair of the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee during the tumultuous 2020-21 school year that saw the NCAA Tournament moved to a bubble format in Indianapolis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.