If you’ve listened to Kentucky fans lately, you’ve heard some familiar refrains: Is UK behind in NIL? Is JMI holding the program back? Is Mitch Barnhart too cautious for this new era?
The Kentucky athletic director answered all of that head-on during a taped interview with Tom Leach on the UK radio network, and also in comments around Will Stein’s introductory press conference. The tone was firm: he hears the criticism, and he doesn’t buy the narrative.
“We will have to continue to make sure that we’re within the framework that we can be effective, and that we’re giving our coaches and our student-athletes the best opportunity,” Barnhart said. “We are incentivized at a high level, because there’s no one who wants to win more than our coaches, no one wants to win more than our student-athletes and our fans. Why in the world would we do anything but give ourselves the best chance to do that?”
“Enough… we’ve got enough”
The sharpest moment came when Barnhart was asked, again, whether Kentucky’s revenue-sharing and NIL budgets are truly competitive.
“We’re confident in what we’re doing,” Barnhart said. “People have asked that question 19 different ways… and it’s exhausting. Enough. Enough about, ‘Have we got enough?’ We’ve got enough. We’re working at it just like everyone else is working at it. We’re no different.”
Kentucky hasn’t publicly broken down how it’s allocating the $20.5 million it’s allowed to distribute to athletes under the House settlement. That lack of transparency has fueled speculation about how football, men’s basketball and other sports are prioritized.
Barnhart’s point, essentially: the numbers are there, and the model is competitive, even if the outside world doesn’t see every line item.
Why Mitch Barnhart says Kentucky’s NIL model is misunderstood, not broken
Much of the angst has centered around Kentucky’s long-term multimedia-rights partnership with JMI Sports, which now includes a major role in NIL operations. JMI helps negotiate deals for UK athletes and creates national opportunities tied to big events.
Barnhart pushed back on the idea that partnering with JMI limits players.
He said the renewed deal with JMI was designed to add NIL resources, not subtract them, and to give Kentucky more flexibility as the landscape changes. That includes targeted revenue streams and national deals that individual athletes might not land on their own.
He also acknowledged that when athletes participate in revenue share or certain NIL arrangements connected to the school, there are built-in responsibilities and brand considerations, something he argued is true across the country, not just at Kentucky.
The big thing fans point out is that while athletes can choose not to partake in JMI's agreement, or choose someone who isn't affiliated with JMI, they would prefer they do. Limiting the NIL earnings is a question that will stand around, especially with rumors surrounding Christian Collins' recruitment being wrapped up until the NIL deals started being discussed.
Pope’s backing of the model
Mark Pope has publicly gone to bat for the current setup, too. Asked recently about adding a general manager-type role to his staff, Pope used the question to instead praise the work being done behind the scenes with JMI and UK’s NIL infrastructure.
“We have this incredible partnership with JMI that’s enabled us to do so much,” Pope said. “They’re doing incredible work for us. The way Mitch has kind of worked this and led this… I have a whole team of people that are working contracts, working possibilities.”
Pope also emphasized that Kentucky is determined to stay on the right side of constantly shifting rules, even when the national landscape feels like a “guessing game.”
A hinge moment for Barnhart
All of this is happening as Kentucky navigates major change: firing Mark Stoops, hiring Will Stein, and watching Pope fight through early turbulence on the basketball side.
Barnhart’s message to fans is blunt: the money and structure are there; the results now have to follow. He’s betting that Kentucky’s mix of revenue sharing, NIL, and JMI partnership will prove to be an advantage once the dust settles, not a drag.
Time, wins and recruiting classes will decide whether the fan base ends up agreeing with him. For now, there are still way more questions than answers.