Kentucky AD risks repeating a John Calipari-sized mistake with Mark Stoops

Mark Stoops made it clear he’s not leaving Lexington anytime soon. Albeit controversial, he made a stance that Kentucky’s best chance to turn things around after an abysmal 4-8 record this year lies on his shoulders. 

“Everyone wants to replace me right now,” Stoops said, per Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio. “But I am not going anywhere. My butt will be in my office tomorrow. Anyone who wants me to be gone anywhere is wishful thinking. My butt is going to work.”

In a way, it’s the right mindset. It’s the words of a coach who knows things haven’t been good as of late. It’s the tone that says Stoops isn’t pleased with how his team has played and he’s poised to build it back up. 

But it’s also a tone-deaf response to a fan base that is desperate for either answers or change. And Kentucky committing to Stoops is a similar feeling to what happened with John Calipari with the Wildcats basketball program. 

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Kentucky AD risks repeating a John Calipari-sized mistake with Mark Stoops

Stoops knows he’s not going anywhere thanks to a massive buyout that’s upwards of $40 million to part ways with him. And his contract has a built-in incentive that every year he reaches seven wins, he gets a year tacked onto the end of his contract. 

On one hand, you see why Kentucky wanted to be loyal to Stoops. He’s been the most successful coach in school history and turned them from a bottom-feeder in the SEC to one that’s at least respectable. 

But as he’s tasked with another rebuild of the Wildcats’ program, is he really the best person to do it this time around? Most coaches who have been with a program for 12 years don’t go through multiple phases of rebuilding.

They typically do their first rebuild and have sustainability where they are competitive but aren’t always atop the conference. Kentucky isn’t in a sustainable spot. And Kentucky is quickly realizing it might have made the same mistake with its football coach as it did its basketball coach. 

Stoops’ contract makes him feel like he’s bulletproof. And it’s only hurting the program, which has won more than eight games twice since 2018. Yes, the SEC is a tough conference. It’s hard to recruit against the powerhouses and hard to have sustainable success. 

But with a contract like Stoops, he doesn’t get the leeway others might. They didn’t just give him the contract because they thought he was the best coach, but because they expected results. They’ve dipped this season and it could be the beginning of a landslide in the depths of SEC failure.