Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops has agreed to a new contract with the school through the 2027 season.
Stoops’ new agreement would end June 30, 2028, and includes a guaranteed one-year extension for any season of seven to nine wins and a guaranteed two-year extension for any season of 10 or more wins. The contract is in the process of being finalized, at which point Kentucky will release financial terms.
Stoops, 54, is 58-53 in nine seasons at Kentucky and is set to lead the team into its sixth consecutive bowl game. Earlier this year, he became the first Kentucky coach to start 6-0 since Paul “Bear” Bryant in 1950. A bowl win would give Kentucky two 10-win seasons out of the past four campaigns. Kentucky has finished second in the SEC East Division three times under Stoops.
“I’m excited to continue to build this program to national prominence,” Stoops said in a prepared statement. “We’re on our way and I’m more confident in Kentucky football than I’ve ever been. I thank President [Eli] Capilouto and [athletic director] Mitch Barnhart for their support. The continuity among us for the last nine years is extremely valuable and I’m looking forward to more success together.
“Mitch and I came to an agreement a week or two ago and shook hands on it Saturday afternoon. This process is a compliment to our relationship.”
Stoops’ name recently had surfaced for other coaching vacancies, such as LSU and Oklahoma, which is looking for Lincoln Riley’s replacement.