What is Mark Stoops’ buyout? Kentucky fans are beyond ready to move on

The longest tenured head coach in the SEC may not be that after this season. With Nick Saban retired after last year, Mark Stoops has been employed longer than any head coach in the SEC. He has been the face of Kentucky football since 2013. After a slow start to his Lexington tenure, Stoops helped transform UK into a regular bowl team. However, this season has done a number on the fans...

Down big early to instate rival Louisville, more and more members of Big Blue Nation are starting wo wonder what Stoops' buyout is. While it is quite massive, keep in mind that we have seen coaches with bigger buyouts be let go before quite recently. Also, keep in mind that Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart no longer has to deal with John Calipari's shenanigans on the hardwood after he left.

Stoops has brought a ton of winning to Kentucky, something I cannot say I saw a lot of during my formative and collegiate years as a college football fan. However, Kentucky's offenses are often the reason why the Wildcats are never seriously competing for SEC championships. Stoops is too defensive-minded for his own good, now that the SEC has done away with divisions, which hurts UK...

According to USA TODAY's coaching salary database, it would cost Kentucky $44,437,500 to fire him.

There is only one reason to move on from Stoops for that amount, and that is to hire Jon Sumrall.

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Kentucky Wildcats football floundering: What is Mark Stoops' buyout?

At a tick over $44 million, you have to wonder if the Kentucky boosters have had enough of Stoops in recent years. Every three seasons or so, Kentucky will do enough offensively to win around 10 games. However, their inability to beat Georgia has culminated in the Wildcats' inherent limitations under Stoops. Even in the 12-team College Football Playoff format, would they ever make the field?

Right now, I would be patient if I were Kentucky. Accept that the Brock Vandagriff transfer portal transaction was a huge failure, and just move on. I think it was a lot to ask for incoming offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan to make the most out of a player who probably committed to Kentucky to play for Liam Coen, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hamdan knows what he is doing.

Stoops is always a candidate to replace Kirk Ferentz at his alma mater of Iowa anyway. Ferentz is not young and could be ousted or retire after any given season. Again, the only head coach I would hire over Stoops in this cycle would be one of his proteges in Kentucky alum and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. He is the next rockstar head coach who is making his way up from the Group of Five soon.

With how pitiful the Wildcats look at home vs. Louisville, I could understand making a change here.