The return on investment for Kentucky football is abysmal: A look inside the numbers

Kentucky football's financial investments paint a picture of a program aiming for prominence in the ultra-competitive SEC. However, the Wildcats’ performance under Mark Stoops raises serious questions about return on investment and where the program is heading. Let's take a look at some eye-opening stats, and you tell me which one doesn't belong.

NIL Collective Funding

As we wrote about here, Kentucky ranks 18th among Power Five schools in NIL collective valuation at $11,254,204. That means we have more NIL than the Oregon football team, who is undefeated and the number 1 seed in the playoff.

Coaching Salaries and Value Per Win

Mark Stoops is the 9th highest-paid coach in college football, earning $9,013,600 annually.
Career record: 67-73 (12 seasons at Kentucky)
Cost per win in 2024: $2.25 million

For comparison the entire top 10:
1 Kirby Smart Georgia $13,282,580
2 Dabo Swinney Clemson $11,132,775
3 Steve Sarkisian Texas $10,600,000
4 Lincoln Riley USC $10,043,418
5 Ryan Day Ohio State $10,021,250
6 Mike Norvell Florida State $10,000,000
7 Kalen DeBoer Alabama $10,000,000*
8 Brian Kelly LSU $9,975,000*
9 Mark Stoops Kentucky $9,013,600
10 Lane Kiffin Ole Miss $9,000,000

Records of coaches with similar salaries

Lane Kiffin Ole Miss: 104–52
Brian Kelly LSU: 291–107–2
Eliah Drinkwitz Missouri: 49–25
Josh Heupel Tennessee: 65-22
James Franklin Penn State: 123-56

Stoops’ record pales against coaches with similar or lower salaries, illustrating the underperformance relative to resources. Of course, he did inherit a program that was faltering under Joker Phillips, but even discounting those first 2 years, his record is 65-60. His buyout is even more than Ohio State's Ryan Day, who has won 2 Big Ten titles and been to a national title game.

Assistant Coaching Salary Pool

Kentucky ranks 13th nationally in assistant salary pool at $7.565M. Schools spending similarly or less, such as Tennessee ($7.135M) and South Carolina ($6.5M), consistently outperform Kentucky on the field directly.

TV Viewership and Brand Power

Kentucky benefits from SEC branding, of course, but a 4-8 season makes this number more of a reflection of conference strength than on-field success. The fans are desperate for football to be relevant, but Stoops is unable to get his team up for success. Even when they are down bad, the fans still tune in. You have to wonder if Kroger Field will look more like Commonwealth under Joker next season.

Misaligned Spending and Results

Kentucky’s NIL valuation, assistant salaries, and head coach salary suggest a top-tier program, but the Wildcats remain far from competing with SEC titles, instead they barely scrap .500 in the conference. Stoops has a losing career record despite over a decade in charge, making him an outlier among the highest-paid coaches or any coach really. If Kentucky wants to elevate beyond mediocrity, a reevaluation of leadership is overdue, but Mitch Barnhart is content watching Stoops go 7-6.

If it is not the money, if it is not the recruiting, and not the funding, that only leaves one thing.