What a crazy day it has been for the Kentucky Football program. Just hours after beating No. 10 Louisville, when many felt pessimistic going in, it has been reported by multiple outlets that Mark Stoops is expected to be hired as the head coach at another SEC program, Texas A&M.
This comes after Jimbo Fisher, who Stoops coached under at Florida State, was fired by A&M earlier this month and was paid a $76 million buyout. In comparison, Stoops’ buyout at Kentucky is $4,000,000, just a little more than 5 percent of Fisher’s.
This move catches many by surprise, looking at both sides. Stoops is paid a top 10 salary for top 25 expectations at Kentucky, where those expectations are Top 5-10 at A&M. Also, for A&M, they are hiring a former assistant of the coach they just fired.
That said, Stoops is 56 years old and it has long been believed that he will not be coaching forever. If he wants a chance to really compete for a national title, he has a chance to do so at Texas A&M with infinite resources. After 11 seasons at Kentucky and some recent regression, it may be time for both sides.
A formal announcement or contract numbers have yet to be announced, but it feels like it is just a matter of time. It is likely that he will receive a slight bump in pay as well.
Kentucky Insider will keep you updated as this story unfolds.
UPDATE (12:15 AM EST): Based on people’s comments, it appears that Mark Stoops was prepared to leave, but the money and brass at Texas A&M couldn’t come to an agreement on the hire. Once that was made clear, both sides agreed to move on.
Stoops released the following statement:
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