Kentucky football ranks WHERE in coach spending?

Kentucky football fans have endured a rocky 2024 season, and the numbers don’t paint a pretty picture. According to USA Today, Kentucky ranked 13th nationally among public universities in assistant coaching salary pools, shelling out significant sums for its staff. Coupled with Mark Stoops being the ninth-highest-paid head coach in college football, these investments yielded a disappointing 4-8 season. Brad White, Bush Hamdan, and Vince Marrow all make north of 1 million dollars each.

The frustration among the Big Blue Nation is palpable. Stoops, who has prided himself on building a stable program of 7 win seasons, saw the Wildcats plummet from postseason contention to an SEC afterthought. For a program that consistently ranks in the upper half of the conference in spending, the results fall well short of expectations and investment.

Offensively, Kentucky’s woes were glaring. The team ranked last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offensive plays (714), struggled with delay-of-game penalties, and lacked explosiveness. Kentucky’s offense averaged just 20 points per game, ranking in the bottom tier nationally. Despite Stoops emphasizing a balanced attack, the Wildcats averaged only 145.6 rushing yards per game while giving up 168.4 yards on the ground.

The defensive side of the ball, once a cornerstone of Stoops’ tenure, also regressed. Kentucky allowed opponents to convert 40% of third downs and averaged 5.8 yards per play, numbers uncharacteristic of a defense that had previously been among the SEC’s most reliable.

Fans are left questioning the return on investment. The large coaching salary pool, combined with Stoops’ lucrative contract, has led many to wonder if Kentucky is getting its money’s worth. When compared to programs with similar financial commitments, such as Michigan or Alabama, the disparity in results is staggering.

The Wildcats’ inability to attract top-tier talent from the transfer portal and their struggles in retaining key players further compound the issue. As Kentucky spends big but delivers little, questions about the program's future direction loom large. For fans, the once-steady rise under Stoops now feels like a plateau—or worse, a steep decline.