Mitch Barnhart Keeps Mark Stoops’ Mediocrity on the Table Beyond 2025

Mitch Barnhart shares his thoughts on Kentucky football’s future in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart speaks during the UK football media day at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, August 3, 2018.

Kentucky football 2018 Media Day

Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart addresses the media during UK football’s media day at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, August 3, 2018. Kentucky football 2018 Media Day | Mike Weaver/Special to the Courier Journal

Fans of Kentucky football, hoping for accountability following the disastrous 4-8 season, won’t find much reassurance in Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart’s recent remarks. Despite clear setbacks, Barnhart continues to stand by Mark Stoops as the right choice for the program—even as the Wildcats struggle to maintain relevance.

For those waiting for a candid assessment of Stoops’ performance, Barnhart’s interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader offered more excuses than honest reflection. Instead of addressing a concerning trend of decline, Barnhart downplayed last year’s performance, calling it a mere “blip.”

“A one-year blip is not what I would call ‘not sustaining it.’ If we go two or three more years and are still not where we want to be, then you have to have a conversation about where we’re headed,” Barnhart said.

A couple more years? Kentucky has already posted back-to-back 7-6 seasons before bottoming out with a 4-8 record. The Wildcats have won just one SEC home game over the last two seasons, and last year, they went winless in conference games at Kroger Field, extending a streak where both Vanderbilt and South Carolina have more wins in Lexington than Kentucky over the past three years. Yet, Barnhart remains unconcerned.

Stoops’ Salary vs. Performance: A Clear Discrepancy

Mark Stoops is the highest-paid state employee in Kentucky, earning over $9 million annually—or more precisely, $2.25 million per win last season. Yes, each victory cost Kentucky’s athletic department more than many Group of Five head coaches earn in an entire season.

And what did fans get in return? One of the worst offensive seasons in recent UK history:

18.1 points per game (124th nationally)

307.5 yards per game (124th nationally)

33.59% third-down conversion rate (119th nationally)

51.97% completion percentage (128th nationally)

5.38% interception rate (worst in the country, 131st nationally)

If you hoped Stoops would revamp the offense by 2025, think again. Instead of modernizing, he’s sticking with a “ground-and-pound” style, abandoning any hopes of a fast-paced, dynamic offensive scheme.

This is the same Stoops who, over the last three years, has cycled through offensive coordinators as if they were interchangeable—each one bringing a “new system” that never sticks. First, it was Liam Coen (2021, left after one year), then Rich Scangarello (2022, who actually performed better than 2024), then Coen again (2023, an improvement but still far from 2021 levels, with rumors of tensions with Stoops). Now, with Bush Hamdan in his second year, we’re back to a conservative, run-heavy playcalling approach, the same style that had Kentucky stuck in mediocrity before the current slide.

It’s no surprise that nearly the entire wide receiver group transferred. Players know what’s coming, and it’s not an offense built to compete in the modern SEC.

Kentucky’s transfer portal activity this offseason should have served as a wake-up call. Instead, Barnhart and Stoops brushed it off as normal roster turnover. But let’s examine the facts:

21 scholarship players left via the portal, including hometown star Dane Key, who had dreamed of playing for Kentucky.

Two underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft.

11 contributors graduated.

Starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff retired from football just six months after declaring his love for the game.

Where does Kentucky football go from here?

This isn’t just a reset. It’s a mass exodus. Yet Barnhart walked away from his visits to the facility impressed.

“I think in the new world we’re in, it changes quickly, and you can stumble but also recover,” Barnhart said. “And I think that’s where we are—we stumbled and didn’t have the year we wanted.”

The issue? Kentucky has been stumbling for three years straight.

Barnhart made it clear that Stoops won’t be leaving—at least not yet.

The numbers don’t lie. The results don’t lie. The performance on the field is undeniable. Kentucky football isn’t experiencing a “blip.” It’s in the midst of a full collapse, and the people in charge either don’t see it or, worse, refuse to acknowledge it.

At this point, the fans see it. The players see it. But Barnhart and Stoops don’t.