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Top 10 salary, but not a top 10 team: Mark Stoops and Kentucky football’s dilemma

Mark Stoops is one of the highest paid coaches in the country but his teams consistently end up towards the middle to bottom of the SEC.

By Mark Knight

Kentucky s Mark Stoops comes out onto the field against Florida Saturday afternoon. Sept. 30, 2023
Kentucky s Mark Stoops comes out onto the field against Florida Saturday afternoon. Sept. 30, 2023 / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
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As the conversation about Kentucky's Head Coach Mark Stoops's future continues to unfold, we need to consider his contract in light of his success. We also need to squash any rumors that Kentucky couldn't hire an elite coach. In college football, money, and success are the two biggest components of bringing in a top-notch coach. Kentucky currently pays Stoops in the top 10 of all college football coaches.

A quick breakdown of the top 10 paid coaches:
1. Kirby Smart, Georgia - $13 million
2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson - $11 million
3. Steve Sarkisian, Texas - $10 million
4. Lincoln Riley, USC - $10 million
5. Mike Norvell, Florida State - $10 million
6. Ryan Day, Ohio State - $10 million
7. Kalen Deboer, Alabama - $10 million
8. Brian Kelly, LSU - $9.9 million
9. Mark Stoops, Kentucky - $9.01 million
10. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) - $9 million

Have you ever played that game when you were a kid that said - which one of these is not like the other? That list is a who's who of elite college coaches. Of course, Norvell and Riley are not having their ideal years this year, but they have been proven winners. You know who hasn't been proven to be a consistent winner but is paid as if he is, Mark Stoops.

Stoops's record as a head coach is 76-68 all-time. He almost has a .500 record. He has only lasted at Kentucky as long as he has because he can hide behind the "it's a basketball school." However, it's really not just a basketball school. The football games sell out, and the fans go crazy. Big Blue Nation has such an impressive fanbase that they will root for more than one sport. Wild, I know.

Stoops has had only two 10-win seasons, 2018 and 2021. He has never won more than 5 SEC games in a season. He consistently has Kentucky at the middle to the bottom of the SEC year in and year out. It's fine to acknowledge that he brought Kentucky out of the pit, but it's also fine to say that he can get us no further, and $9 million is a lot to pay for mediocrity.

You could have your pick from almost any head coach in college football for that sort of money. You need to perform like a top-10 team or get a top-10 coach. Look at the current top 10 in the AP poll and their salary.

AP Poll Top 10:
1. Texas - Steve Sarkisian - $10 million
2. Oregon - Dan Lanning - $8.2 million
3. Penn State - James Franklin - $8.5 million
4. Ohio State - Ryan Day - $10 million
5. Georgia - Kirby Smart - $13 million
6. Miami - Mario Cristobal - $7.7 million
7. Alabama - Kalen Deboer - $10 million
8. LSU - Brian Kelly - $9.9 million
9. Iowa State - $4 million
10. Clemson - $11 million

I show you this to help us see that Kentucky is willing to pay top-ten coach salaries. So, let's actually get a top-ten coach, one who will be up in that range year after year. Stoops got us this far. Who can take it up a notch?

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