Paul Finebaum calls out Kentucky football; mentions Stoops may leave on his own

Earlier today on his radio show, SEC analyst Paul Finebaum addressed a call from a fan asking if Mark Stoops might leave Kentucky football. Kentucky has struggled mightily, losing all four SEC home games for the first time in a decade. In a rough look for Mark Stoops, South Carolina and Vanderbilt now each have as many SEC wins at Kroger Field since 2022 as Kentucky does, with both teams going 2-0 and Kentucky just 2-13 in SEC conference home games.

Currently, Kentucky sits at 3-5 overall and 1-5 in the conference, and Finebaum didn’t hold back, calling it a "dumpster fire of a season." Despite the generous $9+ million salary Stoops receives, along with over $5 million in assistant salaries, a top-25 recruiting class, and record attendance at Kroger Field, Kentucky hasn’t been able to compete with even lower-ranked SEC teams at home.

Finebaum noted when asked if Stoops would leave Kentucky, "He probably is thinking that right now," adding that Stoops has had steady support from University President Eli Capilouto and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, though the season’s results have brought that backing into question. Capilouto and Barnhart, both long-tenured leaders at Kentucky, may find their support waning as frustration builds.

Kentucky's season seemed hopeful after a trip to Oxford, going in sitting at only 2-2 heading into the Ole Miss game (top 10 in the country at that point); Kentucky saw a dramatic fourth-down Hail Mary to Brown that led to a 20-17 win. Yet, since then, a disastrous stretch followed a bye week (Stoops has a losing record after a bye week): a home loss to Vanderbilt, a blowout loss at Florida, and a disheartening loss to last-place Auburn. With upcoming games at Texas and Tennessee, securing a bowl bid seems increasingly unlikely.

With Stoops’ contract holding a buyout of over $40 million, will he walk away from over 9 million a year? It may be difficult for Kentucky to fire Stoops and his staff and hire a whole new staff.