Mark Stoops is one of the highest-paid coaches in all of college football, and his buyout would be enormous if Kentucky wanted to fire him. They would owe him $44 million to make him pack his bags. If he stays, he gets another check for $9 million each season, no matter how good or bad he does. That's a whole lot of reason to stay, especially knowing that kind of money isn't going to be offered anywhere else. Stoops won't be able to shop his contract and get anything close to that.
There's a segment of people who think Mark Stoops is holding on for the money and speaking with the defiance of "I'm back to work to fix this thing" because the alternative is a nice sum of money. If fired, he could walk away with his life completely set for years with that buyout, but there's no financial incentive to walk away on his own.
I’ve been thinking about it and if I had a $40 Million+ buyout I’d be out there punting on first down. Show me that money.
— 𝓣𝓪𝓲𝓣𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓷🌊🌬 (@TheA1God) December 2, 2024
Stoops has to make a couple of calculations. The first is, "Is it worth tarnishing your legacy? Going from the victor to the villain?" That was covered in an earlier post. The second is, "What amount of money is it worth to experience the wrath of Big Blue Nation?"
Is $9 million a year worth it to Stoops to constantly be scrutinized, drug through the mud, yelled at, and despised? Maybe it is, but this fanbase is crazy. In a good way, when it's time to show up for games and help donate money to NIL, but also in a way that is not fun if you are a losing coach or a villain to the fanbase. They will be relentless if you are a rival school/player/coach or even just a jerk to BBN.
Stoops doesn't have a leash, and this fanbase isn't going to be won over by fake wins. John Calipari worked the "I got the best recruit" angle for years, and BBN sees right through it now. Stoops can go out and hire great coordinators and bring in top-notch transfers and even 5-star recruits. None of it will matter to Kentucky fans; only winning matters. They will ridicule and punish Stoops continually until he's put together a winning season.
It's not all about money folks. Nobody wants to get their ass embarrassed for any amount of money. Just coach Stoops.#BBN https://t.co/rxS8BUjxbj
— Smellz of Sumralls Overalls (@JoshuaCatr84481) December 2, 2024
Coach Stoops has to consider this: is it worth it to be hated? Or would it be better to ride into the sunset as the guy who rebuilt Kentucky struggled in the final years but left when it was time for Kentucky to move on?